A regional Queensland town has been hit by a youth crime spree just days after police wrapped up a major crime-prevention operation in the city.
Teens stole six cars in Mount Isa overnight following Operation Whiskey Legion, which led to 83 arrests.
The cars ran rampant on the streets, with one doing burnouts on a basketball court.
“They had black masks on, or something covering their faces,” resident Lyndon Marshall told 9News.
In their efforts to steal a Commodore, they assaulted the female owner in a brazen carjacking.
That car was one of two that crashed, the other running into a fence outside a primary school, prompting the school to text parents urging them to take extra care at drop off time.
“They’re threatening lives of people, these are kids that know know no consequence to any of these actions,” Traeger MP Robbie Katter said.
A rescue helicopter was called in to help police track the gangs from above as one officer told media residents should stay off the city’s roads.
“They started driving into the CBD area and driving quite erratic. Which then the police called off the pursuit,” Marshall said.
By this afternoon, all six vehicles were found abandoned.
The dog squad was called in to round up five teenagers, who are now undergoing questioning.
