A man allegedly threatened a burglary victim with a meat cleaver before a “horrifying” high speed chase that reached speeds of up to 200km per hour.
William Dowell was allegedly a passenger during a high speed car chase in Melbourne’s south east after fleeing the scene of two burglaries on Monday.
The 20-year-old Carrum Downs man appeared before the Moorabbin Magistrates Court, where he was denied bail on Wednesday. He is charged with burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, theft and commit indictable offence on bail.
“It’s horrifying,” Magistrate Luisa Bazzani said of the high-speed chase.
She said it was “death-defying” and though it was not alleged Mr Dowell was the driver, she said he was in the car “all the way along”.
Mr Dowell was caught when police pulled him and his 19-year-old co-accused from a roof cavity of a Cranbourne house on Monday.
Police allege Mr Dowell and his accomplice were involved in two burglaries in Mount Waverley and Oakleigh, during which they used an allegedly stolen grey Hyundai SUV as their mode of transport.
The Oakleigh homeowner confronted the men and punched the Hyundai driverxjmtzyw repeatedly, the court was told.
From the passenger seat, Mr Dowell allegedly grabbed a “cheap Asian meat cleaver” and threatened the alleged victim before they sped away, Detective Senior Constable Dean Trigger told the court.
A police helicopter tracked the allegedly stolen SUV from Hampton to Cranbourne and shocking footage aired in court showed the car speeding and driving on the wrong side of the road and into the path of on-coming traffic.
“The stolen vehicle was driven at excessive, dangerous speeds up to 200km per hour on occasions,” Det Sen Const. Trigger said.
The pair escaped into an underground carpark at Cranbourne Shopping Centre and were then picked up by a friend in a car before they were arrested at a nearby property, the court was told.
Mr Dowell was not alleged to be behind the wheel during the chase, the court was told.
Prosecutors argue the 20-year-old is an unacceptable risk of endangering the safety of the public and committing further offences on bail.
He was using drugs on the day, including amphetamines and Xanax, and told police during his interview he had no memory of the alleged chase or burglaries.
Mr Dowell will return to court at a later date.
