Youths allegedly travel 975km in 16 hours in car stolen while family slept

A Melbourne family has been left shaken after a quiet night watching tennis turned into a terrifying ordeal when six youths armed with machetes ran through their backyard.

Officers along with the dog squad were fast on their toes, arresting the group on Kooyongkoot Road in Hawthorn.

Police allege the group was behind a crime spree over the weekend, with the group first entering a home in Rosanna about 4am yesterday.

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Roland and Nina Beerling were home at the time when the thieves allegedly stole their silver Mercedes sedan.

The couple only woke when their dog raised the alarm, but it was too late.

"I looked around and went outside and I noticed Nina's car was gone," Roland said.

He said the group pulled off the burglary within three minutes.

"I think what was surprising was how brazen they were," Roland said.

"It was a bit like, your heart sinks and, and it's that invasion of privacy."

The stolen Mercedes had a tracking device, and within 16 hours, it had travelled 975km across Melbourne.

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Police believe the same group allegedly stole a Toyota wagon from a property on Tourello Avenue in Hawthorn East about 6pm.

9News understands the car was left running as the driver was putting his daughter's shoes on the porch.

The stolen wagon was found dumped on Robinson Road in Hawthorn.

While police were investigating the wagon, officers spotted the stolen Mercedes about 8pm.

The driver fled and was allegedly seen travelling on the wrong side of several streets including on the Nepean Highway in Hampton, reaching speeds of up to 140km/hr.

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The offenders then dumped the Mercedes on Illawarra Road in Hawthorn and fled the scene.

That's when the foot chase began, with the group running through the backyard of a family home, before being arrested.

Two 16-year-old boys, a 16-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy, a 15-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man are currently being interviewed by police.

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