Melbourne armed robbery cold case reopened after 30 years with new appeal

The case of an unsolved armed robbery that left three men wounded by gunshots at a Melbourne shopping centre more than three decades ago has been reopened by police, with a fresh appeal to the public for help.

Two Armaguard security officers and a bystander were injured on a Monday morning at Chadstone Shopping Centre in May 1994, when a man armed with a handgun allegedly shot at them and made off with bags of cash.

The officers had been collecting the weekend's takings from the cinema at the complex during the robbery.

Victoria Police said "new intelligence" had prompted the reopening of the cold case, with crime scene exhibits that had been placed in long-term storage brought back to light and subject to fresh forensic testing.

Armed Crime Squad Detective Inspector Adam Tilley said investigators were liaising with police in other states and territories.

"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 such as this one," he said.

"It's also unlikely that there isn't someone out there who knows of someone who offended in this way — suddenly coming into that amount of cash isn't easy to explain.

Inspector Tilley said the amount of cash taken was "substantial".

"For someone to return home with a large quantity of cash would be hard to explain," he said.

Good Samaritan among trio injured

The two Armaguard officers were a 61-year-old North Melbourne man and a 54-year-old Sandringham man.

About 11.40am on May 16, 1994, they were confronted by a man wearing a balaclava and carrying a handgun and a cardboard box as they exited the shopping centre.

After being ordered to get down, one of the two officers was shot by the armed man, with the bullet ricocheting off the man's lower leg and hitting the other officer's shoe.

Soon after, a 40-year-old Doveton man, a good Samaritan, followed the armed offender and was also shot in his left leg.

As the robber made his escape with two bags of cash, he dropped a number of items, police said.

He is also believed to have pointed his gun at other civilians.

The suspect was described at the time as between 30 and 40 years old and 170-178cm tall, with a medium/slim build. He was wearing a fawn long-sleeved top, a fawn balaclava and brown gloves.

"There would be people linked to the offender that would have information in relation to this and we're seeking those people to please come forward," Inspector Tilley said.

"We've been able to progress the investigation through recent intelligence, however we're still missing that piece of the puzzle, and that's [where] we're relying on public assistance to come forward and help us."

Two of the victims have died in the years since the incident.