Man accused of wild rampage across Latrobe Valley appears in court
A 34-year-old man has been remanded in custody after allegedly going on a multi-day crime spree across Victoria's south-east involving carjackings, burglaries and a police pursuit.
3 hours agoFri 2 Jan 2026 at 4:31am
Police allege Darren Reid crashed a stolen vehicle through a resident's front yard before his arrest. (ABC News: Jack Frano Colantuono)
In short:
A 34-year-old man has been remanded in custody after allegedly going on a multi-day crime spree across Victoria's south-east involving carjackings, burglaries and a police pursuit.
Darren Reid faces 66 charges, including aggravated burglary with an offensive weapon, armed robbery, carjacking and reckless conduct endangering life.
Police allege the offending began on December 28 and ended with his arrest in Trafalgar on December 31 after a stolen car crashed into a house.
An alleged car thief and axe-wielding home invader who went on a crime spree across Victoria's south-east has been remanded in custody.
Darren Reid, 34, appeared at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court on Friday for a filing hearing.
Police arresting a man in Trafalgar on Wednesday. (Supplied: Peter Negus)
Mr Reid, of no fixed address, has been charged with 66 offences, including aggravated burglary with an offensive weapon, attempted aggravated burglary, carjacking, armed robbery, five counts of theft of a motor vehicle, reckless conduct endangering life, unlicensed driving and aggravated intentional exposure to a police officer to risk by driving.
Police have alleged the series of incidents began on December 28 when Mr Reid approached a female victim on Firmins Lane in Hazelwood South, demanded the keys to her car and fled in her vehicle.
The crashed vehicle in a front yard in Trafalgar. (ABC News: Jack Franco Colantuono)
In the following days he is alleged to have rammed a police vehicle in Traralgon East, broken into a home with an axe in Glengarry before stealing another car, fleeing police in bushland in Moondarra, driving dangerously during two police pursuits and crashing a stolen vehicle into a home in Trafalgar. Police arrested him in Trafalgar on December 31.
Mr Reid, who appeared in court via video link, has been remanded in custody until April 7 for a committal mention.