One venue has been torched and revellers in another are lucky to have escaped serious injury during the latest in a spate of attacks on a city's nightlife hotspots.
Two attacks in Melbourne's Chapel St precinct overnight have heightened tensions in the city's late-night hospitality scene following a months-long string of firebombings, shootings and kidnappings.
Police are investigating after a car pulled up outside South Yarra's The Emerson just before 2am on Sunday.
Several shots were fired before the vehicle drove away.
Police have called on anyone with information about or footage of the attack to come forward.
It was the second known attack on the venue, located on Commercial Rd, in recent weeks after the bar was targeted in a suspected arson incident in the early hours of April 15.
As a result of that fire, the venue was forced to close for the following weekend.
Another venue, Bar Up in nearby Chapel St, was also damaged in a suspected arson attack on Sunday.
Emergency crews were called to the licensed premises just before 5am after reports a male offender had set fire to the building before fleeing on foot.
Police also charged three teenage boys over an alleged arson attack at a venue in Melbourne's city centre on Saturday - the second such attack on the .
Melbourne City Council staff spotted a suspicious vehicle on safety cameras near the corner of Flinders and ACDC lanes, notifying police shortly after 5am.
Officers quickly arrived at the scene and found the front of licensed venue Bar Bambi alight.
Police chased down two alleged offenders and arrested another nearby.
It was the second suspected arson attack on the venue in April.
They were later charged with offences including criminal damage by fire, burglary and theft of motor vehicle.
The trio, aged 17, 16 and 15, are expected to appear before a children's court at a later date.
The Arson and Explosives Squad have called for public assistance over the series of apparently linked incidents at hospitality venues across the city.
Detective Inspector Chris Murray recently said the motive for the arson attacks and kidnappings remained unclear.
"We have not had any reported extortions from any of the owners of the venues which have been subjected to arson or attempted arson," he said.
Premier Jacinta Allan applauded Victoria Police for putting considerable resources into investigating the concerning incidents.
She denied Victoria had become the firebombing state, despite numerous arson attacks linked to both the hospitality industry and Melbourne's tobacco wars.
Shadow attorney-general James Newbury said Melbourne obviously had a problem with organised crime, but that did not necessarily mean people were any safer at home.
"There is no doubt that organised crime has a presence in our streets," he said.
"But when you go home, you also aren't safe because you're seeing very serious home invasions happening in quiet residential streets.
"There's no doubt we have a crime problem."
