A man will face court today charged over an alleged carjacking in Wollongong at the weekend.
About 2.30pm on Saturday (18 March 2023), a 24-year-old woman was refuelling her car at a service station on Corrimal Street, Wollongong, when she was approached by two males, not known to her.
Police have been told one of the men allegedly got in the driver's seat of the Mercedes station wagon, before demanding the woman's mother get out of the passenger seat.
The second man then got in the vehicle and a struggle ensued between him and the younger woman, before she was allegedly threatened with a knife.
The pair allegedly drove off in the car and officers attached to Wollongong Police District were notified, commencing an investigation.
The vehicle was later recovered in Port Kembla on Tuesday (21 March 2023).
Following inquiries, police arrested a 39-year-old man at a hotel on King Street, just before 2pm yesterday (Wednesday 22 March 2023).
At a subsequent search warrant at a home on Tobruk Avenue, Port Kembla, police seized items of clothing relevant to the investigation.
The man was taken to Wollongong Police Station where he was charged with:
- Larceny (two counts),
- Take and drive conveyance without consent of owner,
- Robbery in company – serious indictable offence,
- Aggravated assault with intent to take/drive motor vehicle in company,
- Demand property by force in company with intent to steal, and,
- Dishonestly obtain financial advantage etc by deception (two counts).
Police will allege in court that the man stole property from a retail store on Keira Street, Wollongong and attempted to steal a motorbike on Saturday (18 March 2023).
He was refused bail to appear in Wollongong Local Court today (Thursday 23 March 2023).
As inquiries continue, anyone with information is urged to call Wollongong Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
