Moolap armed robbers on run
High-speed chase
POLICE are hunting for two men who robbed a Moolap service station armed with a sledgehammer and a knife before leading cops on a highspeed car chase.
The terrified service station attendant locked himself inside an office after the pair charged into the Shell service station on Portarlington Rd brandishing weapons just before 4pm on Tuesday.
The offenders stole cash and cigarettes before fleeing in a vehicle, believed to be a grey Holden Commodore.
Police later spotted the car travelling north along the Western Ring Road.
A short police pursuit was initiated before it was terminated for safety reasons.
The car was last seen travelling between Fitzgerald Rd and Ballarat Rd in Melbourne’s west.
Srinath Gollapudi, manager of the Shell service station, said the staff member involved was so traumatised he had been forced to take a week’s leave.
“It was very terrifying, he was very nervous,” Mr Gollapudi said. “One of the men was carrying a sledgehammer and the other a knife.
“The guy who was working here saw them coming and he just came to the back of the storeroom and he locked it, which was good.
“He then pressed the alarm and called 000.
“They’ve just taken some smokes from the front and some money from the till.”
Mr Gollapudi said he left the store for only 15 minutes before the two armed bandits arrived.
“It’s the first armed robbery we’ve had, we had a break-in a couple of months ago,” he said.
“Especially at 3.57 in the afternoon, no one expected that.”
CCTV footage released to the Addy shows the two masked men running into the service station during the brazen attack.
The first man had a solid build and was wearing a grey hoodie, grey pants and brown boots. The second man had a solid build and was wearing a black hoodie, dark pants and black runners.
The service station attendant was not injured.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential online report at crimestoppers.com.au