A major manhunt is under way for two groups of teenagers accused of terrorising homes across Brisbane.
A young family was confronted by armed teens in the southern suburb of Holland Park.
Catherine Taylor woke up at 4.30am on Tuesday and saw three teenagers downstairs in her home – two of them were armed with knives, while she says another three were outside waiting at a getaway car.
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Taylor told 9News it was the most frightening thing to happen to her because her three young children were upstairs sleeping at the time.
But the brave mother looked one of the intruders dead in the eyes and screamed at them from where she was standing, forcing them to flee empty handed.
“There was no doubt in my mind that their body language and how they were acting in our house, that if anyone had tried to intervene there would have been an incident,” Taylor told 9News.
“I cannot sleep. I haven’t been to sleep since this has happened, I’m lying awake at night.
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“I don’t think that these youths understand the impact they’re having on families and what they leave behind in the wake of what they’ve done.”
The family has installed security cameras, while the group responsible for the incident remains on the run.
In a separate incident, shocking video shows masked teens in action targeting homes in the middle of the day.
One brazen act in broad daylight shows three teenagers viciously trying to kick down the front door of a Pallara home.
They arrived in a Rav4, which was stolen almost a month ago.
The home is one of many targeted by the group this week alone, police say.
They were captured on camera in the same car, pulling up at a Sunnybank Hills home on Thursday about 2.30pm.
After reversing into the driveway, teens were seen getting out, holding bags and ready to fill them.
They were seen sneaking around the side of the property before breaking in through the back door. The homeowner had left the house just two minutes before.
They spent 10 minutes ransacking Carolyn Loy’s home, ultimately getting away with cash and jewellery.
“Really not safe in this community,” Loy told 9News.
“I’m worried that they come back. That is my greatest worries.”
One of the teens barely made an effort to cover his face.
“They didn’t care. They knew we had cameras but they were looking into the cameras,” Loy said.
Forensic crews arrived at Loy’s home on Friday morning in search of any clues.
“They had taken [out] all the drawers, everything. Everywhere was a mess,” Loy said.
Just 20 minutes earlier the same group forced their way inside another home just a few kilometres away.
The place was locked and secure but that didn’t matter, they still found a way in.
“Denials, scared and distress definitely,” resident Michelle Tan said of the incident.
“It should be a safe place for myself as single mother and two young children,” one local told 9News.
“As far as my children are concerned, they can’t even go inside the house.”
The car was spotted on CCTV footage driving away and tonight, they all remain on the run.
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