Melbourne men arrested over theft of an SUV with sleeping toddler in the back seat
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Dramatic moment: A man is arrested in front of onlookers at a busy shopping center for the theft of an SUV with a small child asleep in the back seat, while another is also handcuffed.
- SUV with a child sleeping inside was allegedly stolen on Sunday
- The vehicle was allegedly taken in Chelsea, south-east of Melbourne.
- Two men arrested for car theft
Police have arrested two young men wanted for stealing an SUV from a busy mall in front of dozens of shoppers.
Jonathan O’Connor, 18, of Narre Warren and Brylee Dickson, 20, of Clarinda, are accused of robbing an SUV with a sleeping toddler inside on Nepean Highway in Chelsea, south-east Melbourne, a 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Dramatic police footage emerged showing Dickson being pinned to the ground by an officer and struggling, while O’Connor is seen being carried away by two police officers as the two were taken into custody shortly after noon on Tuesday.
The two youths are accused of sneaking into the gray Volkswagen van after the father of the child sleeping inside the vehicle entered a store.
Victoria Police have arrested two men for allegedly stealing a van that had a toddler asleep inside.
The gray Volkswagen SUV was stolen after a man broke into shops on the Nepean Highway in Chelsea (pictured) on Sunday.
Dickson and O’Connor allegedly stopped the car about 350 yards away on nearby Bath Street and left the boy on the side of the road.
A passerby found him distressed but uninjured a short time later.
The two young men are said to have assisted police after their arrest and the investigation is ongoing.
The stolen car has not been found.
On Monday, Victoria police said the father left his son alone for a few minutes with the air conditioning on and ruled out charging him because it was not in the public interest.
The ordeal prompted a warning to parents.
Victoria Police said the father (pictured) left his son alone for a few minutes with the air conditioning on and has ruled out pressing charges against him.
An 18-year-old Narre Warren man and a 20-year-old Clarinda man were arrested for the theft of the vehicle in Frankston Tuesday.
“This situation serves as a timely reminder: never leave young children unattended in a car,” police said.
A lot can happen in the space of a minute or two.
Child safety experts said it was very lucky that the toddler escaped unharmed.
“It’s not worth taking the risk of leaving your child unattended anywhere, particularly a younger child, they should be within reach,” said Kidsafe NSW chief executive Christine Erskine.
“It’s very scary to think that these incidents, as rare as they are, happen because a risk has been taken.”