Men chased through backyards after alleged school pick-up carjacking fail

Two men hid in bushes after failing in an alleged attempt to carjack a father while he was picking up his daughter from a Melbourne school yesterday.

The 48-year-old father was parked about 150 metres from the school gates on Wellington Street in Kew when a white car pulled up behind him about 4.30pm.

Two men got out, threatened him with a knife and demanded he get out of his Mercedes, police allege.

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But their plan fell apart when the pair couldn't start the luxury car.

The would-be carjackers then fled towards Scott Street, hiding in bushes before a neighbour spotted them acting suspiciously several hours later and called Triple Zero.

Police, with help from the Dog Squad and Critical Incident Response Team, swarmed the quiet Kew street just before 9pm.

They tracked the pair through backyards as the alleged offenders jumped fences and scrambled across rooftops.

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A 40-year-old Aspendale man was charged with carjacking and possessing a fake gun, which was seized from him during the arrest.

A 33-year-old Dandenong man was charged with carjacking, theft and possessing a drug of dependence.

The pair will appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court today.

The victim, a 48-year-old Richmond man, was not physically injured in the incident.

The private girls' school has sent a letter to parents about the incident.

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