Gold Coast Hammer Heist

Queensland Police have apprehended a 20-year-old man connected to two armed robberies that terrorized shop employees on the Gold Coast on February 22. The accused allegedly used a hammer during the crimes and escaped with cash, marking a violent Sunday evening for the local community.

The incidents occurred within an hour of each other. At approximately 5:45 PM, the suspect, with his face concealed, reportedly entered a convenience store on Mildura Drive in Helensvale. He is said to have threatened the 30-year-old clerk with a hammer before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of money. Shortly after, at around 6:35 PM, the same individual targeted a cake shop on Cottonwood Place in Oxenford, where he similarly menaced a 39-year-old male employee before making off with cash on a dark-colored moped.

Following an investigation, detectives traced the moped to an address in Oxenford, where they seized a dark-colored Honda moped and discovered a claw hammer in its storage compartment. The subsequent arrest occurred on February 25, after executing a search warrant at another Oxenford location. The young man now faces two counts of armed robbery and was scheduled for a court appearance at Southport Magistrates Court on February 26.

Authorities encourage anyone with further information to come forward and assist by contacting Policelink or reporting anonymously through Crime Stoppers. The reference numbers for these cases are QP2600354532 and QP2600354773.