Two men have been remanded in custody after an alleged two-day crime spree stretching from the Gold Coast to north Queensland. The men were arrested separately on Monday following a string of violent offences in Coomera, Mackay, and Townsville.
Police allege that a 29-year-old Cairns man and a 30-year-old Logan man threatened a bottle shop employee with a tyre iron at Sarina, south of Mackay, on Monday afternoon. The offenders, one wearing a fishing mask, fled with cash and liquor. They then travelled to north Bowen, where they allegedly threatened a driver and stole their vehicle.
The 30-year-old was arrested in a Bowen suburb at about 4:20pm. The 29-year-old allegedly drove to a property in the Burdekin, south of Townsville, broke into a house, and demanded car keys before continuing north in a blue Volkswagen Tiguan. Dramatic bodycam footage showed the shirtless 29-year-old surrendering and being handcuffed south of Townsville just before 6:00pm.
Prior to the 1,300km road trip, the Logan man is also alleged to have been involved in an armed robbery at a grocery store in Coomera on Sunday, threatening a store attendant with a screwdriver before stealing money and the shopkeeper's car.
The 29-year-old Cairns man faces charges including four counts of stealing, three counts each of evading police and unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and single counts of wilful damage, armed robbery, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and attempted robbery. The 30-year-old from Logan faces similar charges. Both are expected to appear in court in November.
