A 17-year-old boy has been charged with dangerous driving causing death after a suspected stolen vehicle collided with another car, killing a 28-year-old man.
Two 15-year-old girls arrested at the scene of the crash in Burwood, Melbourne’s east, on Tuesday night have also been charged with car theft.
According to police, a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee collided with the second vehicle at high speed and in an erratic manner, killing the driver, who was the only occupant and has yet to be officially identified.
There were up to six teenagers in the Jeep, while four men fled after the accident at the intersection of Warrigal and Highbury Road.
The police described the inmates’ decision to allegedly flee the crime scene and leave a dying man behind as “absolutely cowardly”.
“It was a high speed, high force impact. You know someone in that vehicle would have been injured… to leave a person injured or killed is cowardly. It’s absolutely cowardly,” Detective Senior Sergeant Christian Von Tunk said Wednesday.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested in Malvern East at around 8:30pm on Wednesday and charged with careless driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death, failure to stop and render assistance, motor vehicle theft and driving without a license.
He was taken into custody and is due to appear before a juvenile court on Thursday.
The two accused girls were released on bail and are expected to appear before a juvenile court at a later date.
The Jeep was allegedly stolen in an aggravated burglary in Cranbourne South last week and used in two armed robberies in Ormond and Ripponlea on June 30.
Police are still searching for three other teenagers who fled the scene and have asked their friends and family to come forward.