Northern Territory Police have arrested and charged a 23-year-old man following an alleged aggravated robbery at a Bellamack bottle shop yesterday afternoon.
At around 4pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received multiple reports of a man armed with a machete fleeing the business with cash.
It is alleged the man entered the store armed with a large machete and approached an employee behind the counter, demanding access to the safe.
The employee allegedly handed over cash from the register before the offender fled on foot towards Flynn Circuit.
Palmerston General Duties and Dog Operations Unit officers attended the scene within 15 minutes, reviewing CCTV before conducting searches of the surrounding area.
Using real-time electronic monitoring data, police tracked the alleged offender travelling in a vehicle towards Acacia Hills.
At around 6:30pm, officers located and arrested the man at a residence on Byers Road.
During the arrest, police allegedly located three zip-lock bags containing a small quantity of a substance believed to be methamphetamine. The substance was seized for further analysis.
The man, who was on bail in relation to four separate matters at the time of the alleged offending, has since been charged with 13 offences, including:
- Aggravated robbery
- Possess a Schedule 1 dangerous drug - less than a traffickable quantity
- Drive without a licence
- Drive an unregistered motor vehicle
He was remanded in custody to appear in court today.
Superintendent Katie Hatzismalis said police acted quickly to identify, track and apprehend the alleged offender.
"Threatening a retail worker with a machete is cowardly and dangerous behaviour that will not be tolerated.
"Retail employees deserve to feel safe at work, and police will continue to use every capability available to identify and apprehend those who target local businesses.
"We also thank the members of the public who immediately contacted police and provided information that assisted our response."
Investigations remain ongoing.
