CREWS at Frankston police station’s divisional operation support office (DOSO) went on high alert when they spotted two teenagers handling what they identified as a black pistol in the rooftop carpark of Bayside Shopping Centre.
They watched as a 15-year-old, of Frankston, and a 19-year-old, of Hastings, left the centre, 5.45pm, Thursday 1 December, and moved into Ross Smith Avenue where they approached a 40-year-old man.
Coordinating the action from their vantage point, DOSO staff advised police and security staff as they cordoned off the area, and directed members of the Critical Incident Response Team to the crime scene.
Detective Acting Sergeant Marty O’Brien, of Frankston CIU’s Embona Armed Robbery Task Force, said police would allege the 19-year-old took out the gun and demanded the man hand over his wallet.
When he refused the offenders ran west on the avenue and were subsequently arrested at the intersection of Wells St and Nepean Highway. The gun – which was later found to be imitation – was recovered during an arrest.
The 15-year-old was bailed on firearms offences, while the 19-year-old appeared in an out-of-sessions hearing and was remanded to Melbourne Magistrates in January charged with attempted armed robbery and related offences.
