A 17-year-old male has been arrested in relation to the alleged assault of a worker, theft and being armed with an offensive weapon in Alice Springs yesterday afternoon.
Around 4:45pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received reports of an armed person threatening staff at a retail store on Railway Terrace. The youth is alleged to have attempted to steal items from the store before an employee of the business intervened and directed him to leave.
A short time later, the offender returned to the store and allegedly approached an employee of the business and produced a knife from his pocket. He then threatened to stab the employee while jabbing the air with the weapon. He continued to threaten the employee until police arrived at which point he fled the location, discarding the knife under a parked car.
The Territory Safety Division and Alice Springs general duties officers coordinated a response resulting in the arrest of the 17-year-old male youth. He has since been charged with:
- 1 x Assault worker
- 1 x Theft
- 1 x Armed with an offensive weapon
He was remanded to appear in Alice Springs Court on 9 May 2025.
Acting Superintendent of the Territory Safety Division Alex Noonan said, "This type of offending is unacceptable, and members of the community should not be subjected to violence in their workplace.
"I commend the efforts of all involved in the rapid response, which led to the swift apprehension of the offender.
"Anyone with information pertaining to this incident is urged to make contact on 131 444. Please quote reference NTP2500047662. You can also report anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000."
