A white Jeep Cherokee, owned by Western Bulldogs player Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, has been linked to a series of violent armed robberies in Melbourne. The vehicle was reportedly used by a group of masked individuals who carried out multiple heists on Saturday evening, starting with a milk bar in Keysborough around 7:30 PM, before moving on to other locations, including a service station in Cheltenham.
The group proceeded to target a Reddy Express in Dingley Village at approximately 8:50 PM. Shortly after, they were recorded on CCTV at a petrol station in Braeside, where they confronted staff and customers with a machete. The attendant attempted to defend himself with a metal pole, but the altercation escalated, ending with him being overpowered.
Police detected the suspects fleeing in the Cherokee shortly after the robbery and initiated a pursuit that involved an aerial surveillance unit. Stop sticks were deployed in Doveton, but the car continued moving with damaged tyres until it was abandoned in Collingwood. The four occupants fled the scene on foot along Harmsworth Street, and authorities have yet to make any arrests. A group of about 15 young men was questioned at a local park during the investigation.
Despite the troubling events, the Western Bulldogs have confirmed that Ugle-Hagan is not implicated in any wrongdoing. At the time of the robbery, the vehicle had not been reported stolen. The Cherokee has since been confiscated by police for further investigation.
Ugle-Hagan, 23, recently mentioned on a podcast that he had given the car to a friend, expressing concerns about his own driving abilities. He has been cleared after questioning by authorities, and during the police inquiry, an unrelated incident involving shots fired at an elderly man at his home in Glen Iris came to light, further complicating the backdrop of violence in the area.