A 38-year-old father of three sustained a broken hand while defending his parents' home from a teenager allegedly armed with a machete early Wednesday morning. The alleged intruder, 17, reportedly suffered a broken jaw during the confrontation at the Port Melbourne residence.
The incident began around 5:30 a.m. when the homeowner's parents, both in their 60s, noticed a car loitering outside their gated property. While the couple investigated, their son, Daniel Shoppee, remained inside with his wife and their three young children, ages one, two, and four. The suspicious car departed, but Shoppee's mother then screamed, alerting them to a second individual allegedly inside the gate, attempting to breach the house with a machete.
Shoppee and his father confronted the alleged intruder. During the altercation, Shoppee sustained a fractured hand, and the teenager allegedly suffered a broken jaw. "People might say he's only 17 but he was a big guy and he was carrying a massive machete. It doesn't matter what age someone is when they're coming at you with a machete at 5.30am," Shoppee told the Herald Sun.
Police arrived and arrested the teenager at the scene. He has been charged with attempted aggravated burglary and possessing a prohibited weapon. According to Shoppee, police indicated the teenager had been released from a 49-day jail sentence just one week prior for a series of burglaries in the same area. The Shoppee family was temporarily staying at the parents' home while their own residence was undergoing renovations.
Shoppee described the encounter as terrifying, stating the alleged intruder was screaming and brandishing the machete. The incident has left the family feeling unsafe. "We're at such a poor level in Victoria where families can't feel safe in their own home," Shoppee said. "We're not asking for something remarkable here, we just want to feel safe. There has to be a change."
He added that the family has been impacted to the point where they feel afraid to walk to the local supermarket. "He was raising this machete above his head, screaming at us, 'I won't hurt you if you open the gate,'" Shoppee told 7News. He expressed anger, sadness, and disappointment with the government's handling of such issues.
Shoppee commended the responding officers for their efforts in dealing with rising crime but noted their apparent discouragement. He urged the government to reform youth crime legislation to include stricter penalties. The teenager is being held in custody and is expected to appear in children's court at a later date.