Two men have been charged and two cars valued at $170,000 have been seized following an Operation Achilles investigation into an illegal hoon driving event in Truganina last month.
It’s alleged two vehicles were involved in a street race on Boundary Road at about 12.15am on Sunday 13 March.
With bystanders looking on from the side of the road, Police Air Wing allegedly observed the vehicles racing at more than 230kmper hour in an 80km per hour zone.
North West Metro Region police executed two search warrants this morning in Caroline Springs and Craigieburn, seizing a black BMW M4 coupe valued at $80,000 and a black Mercedes Benz C63 sedan valued at $90,000.
A 21-year-old Caroline Springs man has had his driver’s licence suspended and has been charged with recklessly engaging in a speed trial, reckless conduct endangering serious injury, exceed speed limit, drive in a dangerous manner, engage in a race, drive probationary prohibited vehicle and driving an unsafe vehicle. The Caroline Springs man was bailed to appear at Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on 11 November.
A 22-year-old Craigieburn man has been charged with reckless conduct endangering persons, reckless conduct endangering serious injury, commit indictable offence while on bail, drive in a dangerous manner, unlawfully engage in a speed trial, exceed speed limit and learner driver without accompanying driver. The Craigieburn man is expected to be directly presented to the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court today.
Operation Achilles has been responsible for charging more than 200 of Melbourne’s worst hoon drivers and impounding over 140 hoon vehicles over the past nine months.
As part of Operation Achilles, police saturate known hoon hotspots, ensuring they can rapidly respond to high risk driving events.
Police will take appropriate action, including making arrests and seize vehicles at the event, however the immediate response is only the beginning of their work to keep dangerous drivers off our roads.
When arrests are not made on the spot, full scale investigations are launched into those involved, including organisers, participants, and spectators.
Operation Achilles remains ongoing and anyone with information about illegal hoon activity is urged to report this to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.auExternal Link
Quotes attributable to North West Metro Region Operation Achilles Acting Senior Sergeant Simon Borg:
“Racing around the streets in our community is not just harmless fun – when you’re travelling at ludicrously high speeds with spectators lining the road, even the slightest error behind the wheel will result in devastation and tragedy.
“Police will continue to saturate known hoon hotspots, as well as actively monitoring event organisers and participants, to ensure we can disrupt this activity before it occurs and keep the community safe.
“With hundreds of offenders already charged as part of Operation Achilles, it should be pretty clear to those involved it’s only a matter of time before you receive a knock on the door if you’re not already caught by us on the night.”
