POLICE are not saying for sure if the "ram-raId" attack on a brand-new tobacco and retail store in Wonthaggi, in the early hours of Monday morning this week, is connected to more than 75 raids on tobacco outlets across Melbourne and regional Victoria since March last year.
But it's certainly a line of inquiry and the fact that the perpetrators torched the stolen car involved in the incident in Station Street, South Dudley sometime later indicates the destruction of the shop front of the new Grab’n’Go Mart in McBride Avenue was no accident.
Local retailers fear it might simply have been a “shot across the bows” of the new shop after signs went up late last week advertising “gifts, drinks, tobacco and snacks”.
“Maybe they’re trying to warn them before they open. It’s scary,” said one local business owner.
It was at around 3.30am on Monday morning, August 19 that the Wonthaggi Fire Brigade was alerted to a car fire outside an address in Station Street, South Dudley, and it was soon apparent the car had been stolen.
At 5am they answered another call to attend an incident at 29 McBride Avenue, in the Wonthaggi shopping centre, where it had been reported a car had crashed through the front window of a shop.
Police confirmed later that the torched car had likely done the damage to the retail premises earlier in the night.
According to Criminal Investigation Unit police, the stolen car was driven into a front window of the new Grab’n’Go Mart, which wasn’t due to open until September 1, confirming that nothing had been stolen.
“The vehicle has reversed out and pulled the window frame with it,” they said.
Speaking on Gippsland ABC Radio on Tuesday morning, Senior Sergeant Jason Hullick acknowlegded that a possible connection betweeen the ram-raid at Wonthaggi and Victoria's tobacco turf war was a line of inquiry that local detectives were pursuing, and were liaising with Lunar Taskforce detectives in Melbourne.
"It's been a situation that we've seen around the state but we're not immune from it here," said Sen Sgt Hullick.
Senior Sergeant Hullick said the stolen car police were seeking additional information about was a "mid-2000s black Mazda 3" which he said may have been in and around Wonthaggi at about 3am on Monday morning, August 19.
"If anyone has dashcam footage or if there are businesses that might have CCTV video of a black Mazda 3 in Wonthaggi around 3am on Monday morning, we would like to see it," he said.
Bass Coast CIU has made an appeal to the public for dashcam footage, CCTV surveillance video, or any information that might assist them with their inquiries. Contact Wonthaggi Police 5671 4100 or anonymously to Crimestoppers 1800 333 000.
Legged it after crash
In a busy weekend for Wonthaggi Police, they are still investigating a car crash outside the Hicksborough Store in White Road, Wonthaggi, at about 11am on Sunday, August 18, where the driver has left the scene.
Police reported that one vehicle has run into the rear of another car in front of them. One of the vehicles was reversing out of a carpark prior to the accident.
It was reported to police, the offender, driving the car which rear-ended the other car, is believed to have been under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
The offender, they say, left the vehicle after the crash and was picked up in a separate car before fleeing the scene.
The offending vehicle was found to have false plates and was identified as stolen.
Further investigations are underway with police currently seeking “a person of interest”.
Again, anyone with information can contact Wonthaggi Uniform Branch 5671 4100 or Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
