By Paul Sakkal/The Age
A man and a woman have been charged following a spate of armed robberies in Melbourne’s north-west, including an alleged attempt to steal from a St Albans pokies venue before a heroic punter stepped in.
Police say the series of incidents took place over the last five years at gaming venues, a post office and a liquor store and included four armed robberies and one failed attempt.
Armed Crime Squad detectives arrested a 34-year-old Kings Park man and a 39-year-old Albanvale woman on Wednesday. Police could not confirm whether both were suspected to have been involved in all five incidents.
The man was charged with offences including armed robbery, attempted armed robbery, recklessly cause injury, assault with weapon and firearm-related offences. The woman was charged with armed robbery, theft, trafficking methamphetamine and cultivating cannabis.
Police also seized from two separate addresses imitation firearms, clothing, mobile phones, cannabis plants and a vehicle.
Both were remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on January 31.
The arrests come after police this week released CCTV footage of an alleged attempted armed robbery at the Green Gully Bistro pokies in St Albans about 11.15pm on November 12 last year.
Footage showed two balaclava-clad men enter the gaming venue on Clubhouse Place wielding a machete and metal pole.
The man armed with a machete is seen becoming involved in a scuffle with a male patron, whacking him on the chin with the knife.
The customer then punched the man in the face and threw him to the ground, before the man fled with his accomplice shortly after empty-handed.
Police say four other incidents took place over a number of years, including:
– an armed robbery at a Tottenham liquor store in April 2014
– an armed robbery at a gaming venue in St Albans in June 2015
– an armed robbery at a post office in Deer Park in June 2018
– an armed robbery at a sporting club in Kings Park in November 2018
