Carl’s dad died without justice, then a surprise tip reopened the case of a brazen 1994 heist
When Carl’s father, Sverre Benjaminsen, passed away, he left a file on his desk. Inside were stacks of old newspaper clippings, yellowed with age, from the brazen armed robbery that defined so much of his life.
Benjaminsen was one of two security guards ambushed next to an Armaguard truck during a daylight robbery that infiltrated the busy Chadstone shopping center in Melbourne’s south-east on May 16, 1994.
The guards were forced to the ground and shot in the wrists and feet by a gunman; This person made off with bags of cash totaling $80,000 from the movie theater box office over the weekend.
Shoppers watched in horror as a Good Samaritan gave chase and was shot in the leg, shattering his femur, while the robber shot another man in the arm as he tried to stop him escaping.
Although the robbery was one of a series of violent armed robberies targeting Armaguard vans that year, the case had long since gone cold. Evidence was shelved in the warehouse, including a bullet-riddled shoe as well as one of the guard’s guns that the thief had stolen and dropped in his mad escape.
Then, in recent weeks, shortly after Benjaminsen’s death, a surprise report came to the police.
Speaking on Sunday as detectives announced they had reopened the case, his son Carl said he was shocked to hear from police, “not only because it had been a long time coming, but also because it came so soon after his father passed away”.
Detectives added that new intelligence obtained over 30 years had allowed them to “advance the investigation” and had released a likeness of the man they believed carried out the ambush, but they did not yet have a clear suspect.
Carl said that although he knew the trauma of that day would haunt him for the rest of his life, he did not expect his father to receive justice.
Shortly after recovering from the gunshot, Benjaminsen had returned to the stores to track the movements of others, wondering if there was a way to prevent them from being shot.
“He was a tough guy,” Carl said of his father, who tried to hide his frustration and distress from his children.
“But he’s carried it his whole life. I understand he tried to follow the gunman at one point.
“Fact is that [folder] was one of the first things [we] The one on his desk… speaks very well to the impact it had on him.
“I remember my shock as a teenager when I heard my father had been shot… when I saw him in the hospital. Like many boys, you think your father is a little invincible.”
The heist occurred several weeks before the infamous Armaguard truck robbery in Richmond in June 1994, in which thieves posing as road workers made off with more than $2 million.
Police had previously linked the cases to a group known as the ‘Gym Gang’, who at the time worked as personal trainers and bouncers at some of the city’s notorious nightclubs. But they did not say whether they believed the man wanted for the Chadstone robbery on Sunday was linked to the group.
“At this time, we have not identified any other crimes linked to this investigation,” he said. Detective Inspector Adam Tilley of the Armed Crime Squad. “We are currently speaking to a number of agencies in various states and territories across Australia and are investigating similar incidents that have occurred.”
But Tilley said given the violence and “callousness” of the robbery, it was unlikely this was the man’s first crime, and it was likely someone in his circle noticed his unexplained cash windfall.
Carl said it was not too late to get justice for his family and others harmed by the robbery and urged anyone with information to come forward.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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Sherryn Groch is a journalist covering crime for The Age. Email her at s.groch@nine.com.au or contact her securely on Signal @SherrynG.70.Connect with: X or email.
