'Disorganised crime': teens may have stabbed wrong man
Luke Manassa was stabbed outside a house in Pemulwuy in Sydney's west on June 26 by two masked assailants armed with machetes who were lying in wait in the driveway.
Mr Manassa tried to escape to his ute and drive away but only travelled a few hundred metres before being overcome by his injuries and dying at the scene.
Two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, were due to face a children's court charged with murder on Friday.
The pair were arrested on Thursday morning but cannot be identified due to their age.
The 17-year-old was on bail when Mr Manassa was killed.
Detective Superintendent Joseph Doueihi said the teens were known to police for past violent behaviour and association with street gangs.
"We believe that these younger offenders were contracted by someone to conduct this killing," Det Supt Doueihi told reporters.
But there was no evidence linking Mr Manassa's alleged killers to the wider spate of organised crime violence in Sydney.
"It's a very amateurish offence by these offenders," Det Supt Doueihi said.
"If anything, I'd call it disorganised crime."
Mr Manassa's family are adamant he was not the intended victim and police confirmed he was not known to authorities prior to his death.
He did not live at the house he arrived at when he was stabbed but visited there occasionally.
"The occupants of that location are known to Luke and are also known to NSW Police," Det Supt Doueihi said.
Police have seized a red Kia the teens allegedly used to flee the scene.
The pair are the latest in a string of young people allegedly caught up in Sydney's organised crime wave.
On Wednesday, two 15-year-old boys were charged over two shootings in Sydney's southwest in June, one of which also involved a potential case of mistaken identity.
"The problem is that these young children don't understand the consequences of their actions," Det Supt Doueihi said.
"They could end up dead themselves, or they could be victims of some form of retaliation by the people that they tried to target."
The killing of plumber John Versace at Condell Park in May was another high-profile case of suspected mistaken identity.
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