In Melbourne’s north, Northland Shopping Centre has faced 2 more incidents in the past 7 days just 3 weeks after a violent brawl involving machetes broke out at the centre, leading to the Victorian Government imposing immediate bans on the sale of the knife.
Last Wednesday afternoon a stolen Toyota Land Cruiser was driven through the centre in what shoppers described as a ‘terrifying incident’.
The vehicle was reportedly stolen from a property in Ivanhoe East using ‘electronic key reprogramming’ which allowed the offender to gain access to the car without needing its keys.
Luckily, no one was injured in the ordeal and a 27 year old man has been charged with 7 counts including reckless conduct endangering life and theft of a motor vehicle. He will face the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Less than 24 hours later the centre was evacuated once again as an electrical fire broke out at the entrance of one of the centre’s department stores. Patrons were evacuated around 10:30 am with paramedics arriving immediately to the scene after heavy smoke was reported. Again, no severe injuries were recorded.
Sophie Janusko 