Victoria Police have reopened a three-decade-old investigation into a violent armed robbery, citing new intelligence that may finally lead to the identification of a “callous” gunman. The pursuit centers on a 1994 Melbourne shooting that left three people wounded and has haunted the victims and their families for thirty years.
The incident occurred on May 16, 1994, at the Chadstone Shopping Centre, where a balaclava-clad man targeted two Armaguard employees. After the guards had collected weekend takings from a cinema, the assailant confronted them with a handgun, ordering them to “get down, drop the money,” according to Detective Inspector Adam Tilley.
The encounter turned violent when the gunman shot one of the guards in the right ankle. In a harrowing sequence, the bullet ricocheted and struck the shoe of the second guard. The assailant fled the scene with cash-filled bags and two Armaguard revolvers, though he abandoned a cardboard box containing one of the stolen weapons and a portion of the cash during his escape.
The violence extended beyond the intended targets. A 40-year-old man from Doveton, who witnessed the crime and attempted to pursue the gunman, was shot in the leg. The injury was severe, shattering his femur. Detective Inspector Tilley described the passerby’s actions as “extremely brave … and heroic.”
A Legacy of Hidden Trauma
For the victims, the passage of time has not erased the psychological scars of the attack. The reopening of the case comes at a poignant moment for the family of Sverre Benjaminsen, one of the Armaguard employees targeted in the robbery.
Carl Benjaminsen, Sverre’s son, shared that police contacted the family just six weeks after his father passed away. While clearing out his father’s belongings, the family discovered a folder containing news clippings of the 1994 shooting—a silent archive of a day that never truly left him.
“This speaks volumes about the impact the incident had on my father,” Carl Benjaminsen said. He noted that his father carried a deep, lasting frustration over his inability to stop the crime and felt profound distress that both his colleague and a brave stranger had been shot.
The discovery of the clippings suggests that the trauma of the event persisted throughout Sverre Benjaminsen’s life, remaining a private burden long after the physical wounds had healed. For the family, the current police lead offers a glimmer of hope for a resolution that escaped his father in his lifetime.
The Current Investigation and Forensic Leads
Detective Inspector Adam Tilley stated that the investigation has progressed significantly following recent intelligence provided by a member of the public. While police have moved forward, Tilley noted they are “still missing that piece of the puzzle” required to make a definitive arrest.
Investigators are now combining new intelligence with legacy evidence. A number of exhibits seized at the time of the crime are undergoing modern forensic testing, as advancements in DNA and ballistic analysis often provide breakthroughs in Victoria Police cold cases that were impossible with 1990s technology.
Police believe the nature of the crime suggests a pattern of professional or semi-professional criminality. “Given the severity and the callous nature of this offending, we believe it to be unlikely this was either the first or the last time the offender committed an armed robbery,” Tilley said.
| Timeline Detail | Event/Fact |
|---|---|
| Date of Incident | May 16, 1994 |
| Location | Cinema, Chadstone Shopping Centre, Melbourne |
| Casualties | Two guards (ankle/shoe) and one bystander (shattered femur) |
| Stolen Items | Cash and two Armaguard revolvers |
The Search for Justice
The pursuit of the 1994 Melbourne shooting gunman is now a matter of both legal necessity and emotional closure. For the Benjaminsen family, the goal is no longer just about the recovery of stolen funds, but about the acknowledgment of the harm caused.
“The gunman had got away with this for 30 years,” Carl Benjaminsen said. “He’s done a lot of harm to a lot of people — we haven’t forgotten, the police haven’t forgotten.” He added that he hopes the perpetrator will give himself up to allow the victims and their families to finally find peace.
Police are appealing to anyone who may have known of individuals involved in armed robberies in the Melbourne area during the mid-1990s to come forward. Information can be provided to Crime Stoppers Victoria, which allows for anonymous reporting.
The next phase of the investigation will rely on the results of the ongoing forensic testing of the seized exhibits and the corroboration of the recent intelligence. Police have not yet released a suspect description or a specific name, pending the results of these tests.
If you have any information regarding this case, please contact Victoria Police or Crime Stoppers.
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