Victorian police are urgently searching for a gang of male offenders who carried out a brutal series of motorcycle thefts across Melbourne's west, including a vicious attack on a 27-year-old woman who was repeatedly punched and tasered before her bike was stolen at a West Footscray intersection on the night of September 19.

Woman Left in the Road with Burns, Bruises and a Fractured Rib

Emma, 27, was on her way to see a film with a friend when she was surrounded by a group of unknown men at a set of traffic lights in West Footscray. What followed was a sustained and brutal assault that left her with serious injuries and a deep sense of abandonment.

"The longer it happened and went on, the harder they were striking my head," Emma said. "And they were tasering me on my arms and my back. I have burn marks on my stomach now amongst bruises and a fractured rib."

After the gang seized her motorcycle and fled, Emma found herself alone in the middle of the road. She described watching cars drive away rather than stop to help. "I was just scared I would be left there by myself," she said.

Senior Constable Thomas Menzies described the attack as "confronting", and said police viewed it as a disgusting and inexcusable act of violence.

Three Linked Bikejackings in a Single Night

Emma's assault was the third in a string of connected bikejackings carried out by the same group on the same night. The violence began in the early hours of September 19.

  • 12.20am — Napier Street, West Footscray: A 40-year-old man was pulled over on the roadside when offenders boxed him in and stole his motorbike. The victim was not seriously hurt. His motorcycle was later found burned out in Presidents Park in Wyndham Vale, approximately one hour after the theft.
  • 12.30am — Sunshine Road: Ten minutes later, the same group targeted a 32-year-old man. They boxed him in, attempted to drag him off his vehicle and struck him with a wrench before making off with his scooter. The man was taken to hospital for treatment. His scooter has not been recovered.
  • Later that night — West Footscray: Emma became the gang's third victim in what police have confirmed is a connected series of offences.

The pattern of the attacks — surrounding riders at vulnerable moments, using overwhelming force, and quickly fleeing with stolen vehicles — points to a coordinated and premeditated criminal operation. The escalating violence across the three incidents, culminating in the use of a taser and repeated blows to the head, has alarmed investigators.

Police Appeal for Public Help

Authorities are urging anyone with information about the gang or the attacks to come forward. The offenders have not yet been identified, and at least one of the stolen vehicles — the scooter taken in the Sunshine Road attack — remains missing.

The brazen nature of the crimes, carried out in public spaces and involving multiple victims over a short timeframe, has prompted concern about escalating organised violence across Melbourne. Investigators are continuing to examine evidence and are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage from the West Footscray area on the night of September 19 to contact police.

Emma, meanwhile, is recovering from her injuries — physical and psychological — after what she described as a terrifying and isolating ordeal at the hands of a gang that showed no hesitation in targeting a lone female rider.