Moorabbin Crime Investigation Unit detectives have charged a teenager after a car was allegedly stolen, then located by the owner, in Brighton over the weekend.
It is alleged a teenager stole a car from a property on Male Street at 3am on Sunday morning.
The owner of the vehicle, a 43-year-old Brighton man, located the car and guided police to it on Bay Street just after 8am.
The recovered vehicle was later released back to him.
It is understood the owner then returned to the area where his car was located around 2.30pm and chased a teenager, whilst calling Triple Zero.
Police attended and arrested the teenager at the scene.
There were no injuries.
Officers searched the teen and located an allegedly stolen laptop, cash and a credit card.
The 15-year-old Oakleigh East boy was charged with theft of a motor vehicle, theft from a motor vehicle and drive without a licence.
He’s been bailed to appear at a children’s court at a later date.
Victoria Police has a dedicated Melbourne-wide operation in place targeting aggravated home burglaries and associated car thefts.
As part of Operation Trinity, significant numbers of local police are working alongside the Air Wing, Dog Squad and Public Order Response Team throughout the night to prevent burglaries and car thefts from occurring.
This means officers can rapidly respond to incidents when they do occur.
Police will continue targeting those seeking to steal cars. We also urge the community to take simple home security measures, such as locking all doors and windows.
