A man will face Court after being charged following an investigation into a number of armed robberies in the Illawarra.
In April 2024, Strike Force Coppin was established to investigate armed robberies in the Lake Illawarra and Wollongong Police Districts.
In the first incident, about 11.35pm on Thursday 1 April 2024, police were called to Mowbray Lane, Warrawong following reports of armed robbery.
Officers attached to Lake Illawarra Police District responded and were told a 24-year-old female was riding her bike when she was approached by a male with a knife from behind. He knocked her off her bike before stealing her handbag with a sum of cash. A 25-year-old male tried to intervene, but the man fled over a rear fence in Churchill Avenue, Warrawong.
The woman sustained minor scratches.
In a second incident, about 6.45pm on Saturday 20 April 2024, police were called to an armed robbery at a store in Gladstone Avenue Coniston.
A man threatened the 21-year-old male shop attendant with a knife, while a man dressed in a white jumper allegedly took vapes from the counter. The pair fled south on Gladstone Avenue, Coniston.
Officers attached to Wollongong Police District attended and established a crime scene.
A 36-year-old man was charged and remains before the courts in relation to this matter.
In a third incident, about 10pm on (Tuesday 9 July 2024), police were called to a hotel on Montgomery Avenue, Warrawong following reports of an armed robbery.
Officers attached to Lake Illawarra Police District responded and told a man, allegedly armed with an axe, threatened a 24-year-old male hotel employee, before fleeing with an amount of cash.
In a fourth incident, about 8pm on Saturday 20 July 2024, police were called to a bottle shop on Princes Highway, Bulli, following reports of an armed robbery.
Officers from Wollongong Police District were told a 24-year-old male employee was threatened with a knife by a man, before he stole cash and fled through the back of the store and ran off towards Railway Street, Bulli.
Police believed all four incidents were linked.
Following an investigation by detectives from Lake Illawarra Police District, about 1.00pm yesterday (Friday 9 August 2024), police executed a search warrant at a house in Griffith Street, Warrawong.
About 2.00pm, police located a 29-year-old man in a nearby property. When police went to arrest him, the man allegedly produced a kitchen knife to avoid being apprehended by police.
Police managed to disarm the man. Following the arrest and whilst being walked to the police vehicle, the man resisted police, causing an officer to sustain a dislocated thumb and a large laceration to his finger. The male police officer was later taken to Wollongong hospital for treatment.
The man was taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station where he was charged with seven offences – robbery whilst armed with offensive weapon (three counts), use offensive weapon to prevention lawful detention, assault police, resist arrest and a domestic violence related assault.
The man was refused bail to appear before Wollongong Local Court later today (Saturday 10 August 2024).
