Operation Moorhead: Teenager charged after allegedly caught throwing water balloons at passing cars
A lawsuit has been filed against a teenager who was allegedly caught throwing water balloons at passing cars in northern Perth.
Police allege the 14-year-old boy threw the balloons into passing traffic on five separate occasions.
He is also accused of operating an improper e-ride vehicle, which was seized and intended to be destroyed.
The teenager was charged with multiple driving offenses and five counts of frightening or alarming the driver of a vehicle; It was a crime that carried a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $36,000 fine.
Photos provided by WA Police show dozens of small water balloons hidden inside a bag.
“The footage clearly shows the intent of the youths involved and the risks to drivers,” a police spokesman said.
“Every water balloon has the potential to startle the driver, causing an immediate reaction that could lead to a crash, serious injury or worse.”
This comes just days after police announced they had seized 36 e-ride vehicles and charged 25 children as part of Operation Moorhead.
The operation was launched earlier this month following a number of “serious and violent incidents” involving young people filming themselves throwing rocks at passing cars and recklessly riding e-scooters and e-bikes.
Drones, helicopters and CCTV towers were also deployed to known areas including coastlines, fast food outlets and car parks as part of the operation.
Acting Superintendent Scott Gillis said it was “disturbing” to see unruly behavior on social media.
“Not only do they drive carelessly, they also damage cars, drive carelessly near pedestrians and engage in aggressive behavior towards the public,” he said on Wednesday.
“Any object thrown onto a car is incredibly dangerous.
“We don’t know how people will react if they see this; they could swerve and have a serious accident, as well as harming or seriously injuring the driver.”
He said all illegal e-ridables believed to have been purchased online were crushed by police.
“If you have an e-drivable car, we will find you, we will confiscate it and it will be crushed,” he said.
