Man sentenced after reckless stolen-car chase through Melbourne mall terrorises children

In a Melbourne County Court hearing, Giriwa May was handed a custodial sentence of four years and ten months for a reckless escape that saw him crash a stolen Landcruiser through the Northland shopping centre’s glass doors on 18 June 2025. Video evidence captured May evading police by repeatedly reversing into an unmarked patrol car before barreling into a children’s play zone, causing shoppers, including a mother with a pram, to flee in terror.

After exiting the mall, he drove to a Northcote shopping plaza, dumped the vehicle, and was detained at his Hoddle Street residence the following day, where authorities seized his phone containing boastful video messages about the chase. May admitted guilt to charges of endangering an emergency worker, conduct endangering life, handling stolen goods and property damage, while his lawyer sought a lighter sentence. Judge Stewart Bayles, citing May’s daily methamphetamine use and the potential for serious injury or death, imposed a non-parole period of two years and ten months, but noted the possibility of rehabilitation if May remains drug-free after release. May will be eligible for parole in early 2028.