Glen Huntly: Arrested in alleged kidnapping case that shocked Australia: Police officers attack ‘known gang member’ after 14-year-old boy was forced into car on way home from school

A 14-year-old “known gang member” has been arrested for the alleged kidnapping of a high school student.

Police arrested the Frankston South boy in Frankston and say the teenager helped them with their investigation.

Inspector Scott Dwyer claimed the Frankston teenager was the main perpetrator in the kidnapping of 14-year-old Benjamin.

The 9th grade student was packed into a dark gray Volkswagen Tiguan shortly after leaving the gates of Glen Eira College in Glen Huntly, south-east Melbourne, on Monday afternoon.

“We have identified all those we believe are responsible for this attack and their arrest is imminent,” said Inspector Dwyer.

Glen Eira College 9th grade student Benjamin (pictured) remains in serious but stable condition after being abducted by thugs on his way home from school

“There will be more arrests in the next few hours and more in the next few days.”

Benjamin suffered “life-changing” injuries after being kidnapped on his way home from school and attacked by a gang of knife-wielding thugs and thrown from their moving car.

Inside the vehicle, the “smart” and “talented” student had his mobile phone and other belongings stolen and was attacked before being thrown several hundred meters up the road from the moving car.

Inspector Dwyer claimed the perpetrators were targeting several boys.

“I want to reassure our community, especially mothers and fathers, that children are safe to walk to school,” he said.

He said police have deployed additional patrols to key locations to offer comfort to parents and deter possible crime.

Inspector Dwyer said juvenile delinquency, classified between the ages of 10 and 24, was lower than pre-Covid levels in 2020, although he said there had been an increase in the 10 to 17 age group.

He said there were 598 youth gang members from 44 gangs in Victoria and claimed the boy arrested today belonged to one of those gangs.

“That’s significantly less than three years ago when there were 747,” he said.

Pictured: Rescuers at the scene after Benjamin was found with life-threatening injuries on Monday

The horrific attack took place on Neerim Road in front of Glen Eira College (pictured), with two other students at the school reporting being victims of similar incidents

The inspector said the police “care” about juvenile delinquency in the state. “We don’t want people to be alarmed… We’re with them.”

He said it was too early to say schools were targets of armed robbery.

In an earlier speech on Wednesday, Inspector Dwyer told radio station 3AW: “Other victims have come forward.”

“There were some silent victims, they suffered like this other boy, maybe not to the extent of injuries he did, but they didn’t report to their parents or to the police.”

He said Benjamin suffered “life-changing” injuries and severe psychological trauma.

The investigation expanded to see if the attack was linked to a similar incident just 10 minutes after Benjamin’s kidnapping.

In that incident, four youths were robbed by two machete-wielding men on Kambrook Road in nearby Caulfield at around 3:25pm Monday.

Worryingly, five other schools in Melbourne’s east reported last month that students were attacked by thieves in similar incidents – although police believe they have nothing to do with Monday’s incidents.

Several Xavier College students were targeted last week, while a Scotch College student was robbed by three men on August 7, 9News reported.

Just three days before Benjamin was attacked, a student at Elwood College was approached by a woman in an SUV who tried to take his cellphone, according to the Herald Sun.

Similar reports were also made by students at Carey Grammar, Sacre Coeur and St Bede’s College.

Police have stepped up their patrols across the region, with Inspector Dwyer calling the attacks “disgusting”.

Schools are also asking children to keep cell phones and headphones out of sight and to walk in groups to be safe when leaving school.

“It’s confronting and the problem is that we live in a safe city. When incidents like this are reported, it’s shocking, but there will be a response,” said Inspector Dwyer.

“That has absolute priority for us.”

A teacher described Benjamin (pictured) as a “smart” and “talented” student

Speaking to reporters outside the hospital, Benjamin’s distraught aunt said her nephew tried his best to fend off his attackers and suffered horrific injuries in the process.

“It’s upsetting to know they only did this to a child,” she told Channel 10 on Tuesday.

“They must be caught and these people must be punished appropriately.”

‘No slap on the wrist.’ You need to go to jail.’