Terrifying CCTV Shows Meth-Using Driver Racing Stolen SUV Through Packed Shopping Mall as Shoppers Flee for Their Lives

Shoppers ran for their lives as a driver behind the wheel of a stolen SUV smashed through the entrance of a busy Australian shopping centre and sped through its corridors, narrowly avoiding people caught in the vehicle’s path. The terrifying rampage, captured on CCTV, unfolded at Northland Shopping Centre in Melbourne, where frightened customers scrambled to escape as the heavy vehicle crashed through glass doors, barriers and shopfronts. The driver, Giriwa May, 28, has now been sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison after admitting a series of serious offences connected to the incident.

The chaos began on June 18, 2025, when May was sitting in a stolen Toyota LandCruiser in the shopping centre’s car park. According to evidence presented in court, an unmarked police vehicle arrived after a security system detected that the vehicle’s number plate was also stolen. When officers approached, May attempted to escape rather than surrender. He repeatedly reversed into the police vehicle, forcing his way out of the car park as an officer tried to stop him.

Instead of driving away through the surrounding streets, May headed directly towards the shopping centre. The LandCruiser smashed through security bollards and glass entrance doors before surging into the mall, turning an ordinary shopping trip into a frightening scramble for safety. CCTV footage showed customers suddenly confronted by the speeding vehicle, with some running away while others desperately moved out of its path.

The SUV continued through the centre at speeds reportedly reaching 37 mph, striking displays and damaging shopfronts as it travelled through the crowded public space. At one point, the vehicle passed close to shoppers and a children’s play area. A woman with a pram hurried to move out of danger, while other customers were seen running, stumbling or dropping to the ground in their attempts to avoid being hit. The vehicle eventually smashed through another set of glass doors to escape from the building.

Although the incident caused extensive damage, no one was reported injured. The court heard that the destruction to the shopping centre’s doors and three shopfronts was estimated at more than £76,000 in the initial report, while Australian media later put the total damage at approximately A$145,000. The absence of physical injuries offered little comfort to those who experienced the terrifying moments, as the court heard that witnesses described people screaming, lying on the ground and crawling to get out of the vehicle’s way.

Prosecutors told the court that May had been using up to a gram of methamphetamine a day in the period leading up to the incident and was fearful of police. After driving through the mall, he fled the scene. He was arrested the following day. Evidence from his phone also revealed that he later recorded himself watching a news report about the incident and made boastful comments comparing himself to Australian motor-racing legend Peter Brock. Those details formed part of the evidence considered during the proceedings.

May pleaded guilty to offences including reckless conduct endangering life, handling stolen goods, intentionally damaging property and exposing an emergency worker to risk. In sentencing him, Judge Stuart Bayles condemned the danger created by driving a stolen vehicle at considerable speed through a busy shopping centre in the middle of a weekday afternoon. The judge said the people shown in the footage would have been shocked and terrified, emphasising the serious risk that someone could have been killed or badly injured.

May received a prison sentence of four years and 10 months, with a minimum period of two years and 10 months to be served before he becomes eligible for parole. The case has highlighted how an attempt to evade police can rapidly endanger people who have no connection to the original offence. For the shoppers caught in the path of the stolen SUV, a routine day out became a desperate effort to get to safety—while the CCTV footage preserved the frightening moments when a vehicle tore through a place where families expected to be safe.

Source: The Sun