A young mother has recounted a distressing incident at Somerville Central Shopping Centre on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, where she and her 18-month-old daughter were allegedly threatened by three boys wielding imitation guns. The unnamed mother, who was playing with her daughter in a playground inside Target, believed the weapons to be real when the boys pointed them at her and an elderly couple as they exited the store just before 11 am.
In her instinct to protect her child, the mother said, “I just went into protection mode.” Post-incident, her daughter cried on their way home, leading the mother to hope that the young girl is too young to fully comprehend the situation. Video footage reportedly shows one of the boys aiming a fake gun at her while she held her baby.
It is alleged that the boys had stolen the fake firearms from a store around 10:40 am, and they were apprehended by police shortly after in the shopping centre car park. They are currently in custody, and police intend to interview them. Authorities are calling on any witnesses or those with CCTV footage to come forward by contacting Crime Stoppers.