Hero neighbour helps catch gang of suspected teen burglars, residents badly shaken
A heroic neighbour has cornered a suspected thief in his backyard after police swooped on a gang in Melbourne's west.
Police flooded the streets around Haywood Grove in Melton, chasing down and capturing youths who had been seen by neighbours running through backyards and vacant lots.
Terrified residents locked themselves in their homes as officers chased down five teenagers.
The gang is thought to have been attempting a burglary at a house in Brookfield, just south of the Western Freeway.
But they were disturbed by a home owner and scattered, running through freeway traffic to reach Melton West, on the north side of the road.
The police helicopter was used to track the gang members as they ran.
“I saw a bloke running down my driveway so I ran out the front in my jocks,” Brodie Reynolds told 7 News.
Officers jumped out of the car in all directions to gather two males running down the street.
Two were arrested and taken away but police were called back to the same location 20 minutes later, when Mr Reynolds found another hiding in his garage.
“So then I came out the back fence, ripped the doors off the hinge and screamed at this bloke to stay and get on the floor," he said.
His partner Whitney Ryan was inside with their sleeping baby Kasey.
“That's where all my rage come from, I don't care what you are doing, but you are in my backyard.”
Brandishing a tyre iron, Mr Reynolds held the intruder until police arrived.
He said he armed himself because he couldn't predict what the burglar was going to do next.
"He got on the floor and he started begging for me to help him. I said 'nope you're staying here to the cops get here'."
The incident has left residents badly shaken, with some saying they're now living their lives in fear.
“I don't feel safe at all, I triple locked my doors, I look out my windows all the time, it's not fun,” neighbour Donna Knowles said.
“I don't know if I want to stay here anymore.”
