Crime spree teens: Police make plea to parents as dangerous trio remain on the run

Police have asked the parents of three teenagers wanted over a violent two-night crime spree to help stop and catch the teens.

A Broadmeadows boy, 17, spent the night in custody charged over the spate of violent home invasions at Bentleigh East, Derrimut and Mernda, as well as a terrifying carjacking at Port Melbourne.

Three others remain on the run.

Commander Stuart Bateson, head of the Australian-African Community Taskforce, told Neil Mitchell police know who the teens are, and are “chasing them vigorously” because those pose a threat to the community.

Neil Mitchell: Are they a current threat to public?

Commander Bateson: Absolutely. They’ve shown no signs of slowing down.

“We’ve had an horrendous couple of nights,” Mr Bateson went on, adding that all alleged had been in custody for similar incidents.

“They have been in custody before but of course we don’t have the opportunity to keep them there forever, but they are known to us,” he said.

An image has been released of one of the accused teen, 18-year-old Shepparton man Ali Sari.

Commander Bateson said the other two teenagers are aged 17 and police were therefore awaiting permission from the Children’s Court to release their details.

When asked if this was a sign of another spate of crime by young offenders of African appearance, Commander Bateson said he’s “not ready to call it a re-emergance of the issue”.

“This is a one-off incident that has been terrible — I don’t want to underplay it at all — but at the moment it’s four young men who have fallen into this horrific crime spree,” he said.

“I’m not ready to call it a re-emergence of the issue.

“Having said that … we never thought we had this beaten.”

Click PLAY to hear his full interview with Neil Mitchell