Melbourne police arrest three teens after violent crime spree

Three teenagers, including two 16-year-olds and an 18-year-old man, have been arrested in connection with a violent crime spree in Melbourne's southeast and Bayside areas.

Police allege the group was involved in approximately 21 offences, including armed robberies, aggravated burglaries, and petrol drive-offs. The incidents reportedly involved the use of two vehicles stolen from a gym in Glen Waverley.

Specific allegations include a 64-year-old woman being dragged by offenders outside the Chadstone Shopping Centre and another woman being punched during a purse snatching. Other reported incidents involved a machete-wielding assailant chasing a convenience store worker and several bag snatchings targeting women in Highett, Beaumaris, and Clayton.

The suspects were apprehended during police raids in Springvale and the Greater Dandenong area. While charges are pending for the bag snatchings, the trio faces multiple counts of aggravated burglary and motor vehicle theft.