All seven people, including four teenagers, allegedly involved in a wild machete brawl at a busy shopping centre have now been charged.
The final arrest was made on Tuesday night when a man, 18, was charged with affray and weapons offences over the melee at Northland Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s north.
Shoppers and workers ran for their lives when a wild fight broke out between rival gangs on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
The incident has raised questions about the effectiveness of Victoria’s bail laws, after it was revealed that at least four persons charged over the incident were already out on bail.
The Thornhill Park man arrested on Tuesday night has been remanded to appear in Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
The other arrests made by police this week include an 18-year-old man from Derrimut and a 21-year-old man from Kew, who suffered head injuries during the clash.
Police have also arrested and charged two boys, aged 15 and 16, from Darebin and Melton, and two men, aged 20, and 21, from Thornbury and Bundoora. All were already on bail.
Police at first believed there were eight people involved in the fight, which lasted about two minutes, before narrowing it down to seven.
“Police will allege this was a planned fight between two rival youth gangs,” Victoria Police said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Those arrested were all known gang members and known to police.”
Police have also seized three edged weapons.
The violence prompted the state government to announce an immediate ban on the sale of machetes longer than 20 centimetres in Victoria from noon on Wednesday.
Possessing the weapons will be outlawed as planned from September, followed by a three-month amnesty period.
Harsher bail laws came into effect in April to respond to surging youth crime, aggravated burglaries and car thefts.
The effectiveness of the laws has been questioned by the state opposition and police union.
Victoria Police Superintendent Kelly Lawson said the brawl did not happen at random, telling reporters rival gangs had arranged a meeting at the centre’s food court before the fight erupted.
Lead image: AAP Images
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