- Published:
- Wednesday 20 May 2026 at 8:48 pm
Melbourne Crime Investigation Unit detectives have charged three people after an alleged series of arsons and attempted arsons in Melbourne’s CBD earlier this month.
Two 18-year-old Tarneit men and a 17-year-old boy from the Wyndham area were charged with multiple counts of offences including:
- Aggravated burglary
- Burglary
- Criminal damage
- Attempted aggravated burglary
- Criminal damage by fire
- Attempted criminal damage by fire
- Handle stolen goods
- Committing an indictable offence while on bail
- Failing to stop on police direction
- Possessing cannabis
The two men have been remanded in custody and will appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ court tomorrow.
The teen is expected to front an out-of-sessions court hearing later this evening where police will oppose bail.
The trio were arrested after allegedly attending three separate venues - one of them twice - in the early hours of Monday 4 May and Tuesday 5 May.
Search warrants were executed in Tarneit and the Wyndham area on Wednesday morning, where an 18-year-old from Tarneit was arrested.
Later in the morning about 10am, another 18-year-old from Tarneit and a 17-year-old from the Wyndham area were both arrested at a shopping centre in Maribyrnong.
Police will allege the 17-year-old was armed with a machete.
Operation Eclipse was established in April to target a range of serious and organised crime syndicates believed to be involved in the offending, as well as determining the motive for these attacks.
The operation is led by specialist detectives including the Gang Crime Squad and Arson and Explosives Squad who continue to work closely with local police, in particular regional detectives who continue to respond to and investigate these incidents.
Police continue to have an increased presence in both an overt and covert capacity throughout these entertainment precincts, including increased patrols of these areas and visits to licensed premises.
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