Two mates enjoying a late-night card game have helped foil an alleged attempted car theft, forcing a group of machete-wielding intruders to flee empty-handed. The dramatic confrontation unfolded in Helensvale on the Gold Coast, Queensland, in the early hours of the morning, with the suspects allegedly targeting multiple vehicles before being spotted by residents.
Machete Gang's Getaway Foiled by Card-Playing Mates
Homeowner Craig Maroske and a friend were playing cards when they noticed suspicious activity outside. CCTV footage captured several people moving around the street before the pair confronted the group.
Maroske said one of the alleged intruders was struck during the confrontation before the group ran across a neighbouring property. “I gave one of the intruders a wallop on the face before they went scuttling across the neighbour’s lawn there,” he told 7NEWS. The group allegedly attempted to steal two cars but were unsuccessful. Instead, they scrambled into a waiting vehicle and tried to escape.
But their getaway was briefly complicated by an unusual obstacle. After realising the suspects were trapped in a dead-end street, neighbours rushed to wheelie bins and lined them across the road in an attempt to block the car’s exit, but the car smashed through the makeshift barricade and sped away.
“Anyone near the street, they would’ve died because of the speed they were going, then they laughed as they drove past,” a neighbour said. Despite escaping, the group may have left behind a crucial clue. One of the suspects allegedly dropped a driver’s licence during the chaos, which has since been handed to police. The same group is also suspected of being involved in another incident at Ormeau just hours later, where a wallet was allegedly stolen.
Maroske said the attempted theft had not gone to plan for the offenders. “They didn’t get what they were trying to get,” he said. “Instead losing a lot of pride.” For Maroske, it was a familiar experience. The Helensvale resident made headlines last year after chasing another group of alleged offenders away from the same street. His message to anyone considering targeting the neighbourhood again was simple: “Just stay away from my street.”
