Man charged with driving forklift through Perth shopping centre, attempting to steal ATM
A Perth man who stole a forklift and drove it through a local shopping centre in a bid to steal an ATM has been charged with dozens offences.
Detectives from Mirrabooka and Joondalup said on Sunday they had jointly charged the man after finding him allegedly responsible for a number of incidents in Balcatta and Greenwood earlier this month.
Police said detectives from both districts realised they were looking for the same man after he broke into a shopping centre on Calectasia Street in Greenwood on February 11.
It is alleged he used power tools to break in to an ATM, and stole a “large sum of money”.
Five days later, police say he stole a forklift from a Balcatta business before he drove it to Centuria Northlands on Wanneroo Road.
It is alleged he drove through the centre and tried to remove an ATM, but was ultimately unsuccessful. There was significant damage to both the shopping centre and the teller machine.
Police said they worked together and soon determined the same man was wanted over both of the incidents, and they executed a search warrant at a home in Alexander Heights this week.
The man was staying at the property and he was arrested, and a search of the house found an allegedly stolen truck, drugs and cash.
“Further inquiries identified the truck had been stolen from a business in Balcatta in early January 2026
and had been used in a series of commercial burglary offences,” a WA police spokesperson said.
The 52-year-old man has been charged with more than a dozen offences, including drug possession, aggravated burglary and theft.
WA police metropolitan assistant commissioner Martin Haime said the arrest showed good work by the detectives involved.
“If you choose to offend, understand this clearly: our squads work together, we share intelligence, and we will find you,” he said.
“If you target our community, expect to be caught.”
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