More Shopping Mall Chaos: Two Teens Arrested After Brawling With Machetes

A police car is parked outside the East Melbourne police station in Victoria, Australia, on Oct. 27, 2023. Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times

Two teens have been arrested in Melbourne after violence erupted in a shopping mall, just days after the Bondi stabbing tragedy in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Parents and children were forced to flee the Woodgrove Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s West after teens were seen fighting with machetes.

A 15-year-old boy from Weir Views, a victim of the affray, received head injuries in the incident and was taken to hospital, where he remains, according to police.

In a statement, Victorian Police said Melton Crime Investigation Unit detectives had arrested “two children” after they were allegedly involved in a violent incident at a shopping centre.

“Police responded to the incident at the shopping complex on Barries Road about 5 p.m. yesterday following reports of a group of males fighting, armed with edged weapons,” Victorian police said.

“This morning, investigators arrested two boys, aged 15-years-old from Melton South and 16-years-old from Harkness, and both have now been interviewed.”

A 16-year-old teen has been charged with affray, possessing a prohibited weapon and armed with criminal intent. A 15-year-old was also charged.

Both teenagers were due to front the children’s court on April 16. The boy in hospital will also be interviewed following his release.

Footage circulated by the Herald Sun showed the teenagers fighting with machetes and knives and throwing chairs.

A young female food court worker who witnessed the incident told the publication she saw a “trail of blood everywhere.”

“They were throwing chairs and signs, we saw one guy (leave the centre) and his head was covered in blood,” she said.

“We had no idea what to do, we didn’t know whether to run or not. Security got there like five minutes after but they couldn’t do anything.”

Bondi Stabbing

The scare in Melbourne comes after 40-year-old man Joel Cauchi went on a stabbing rampage in the Bondi Junction Shopping Centre in Sydney, killing five women and a male security guard.

The man was shot dead by New South Wales (NSW) Police Inspector Amy Scott at the scene, after he lunged at her with a knife.

The victims named are mother Ashlee Good 38, Dawn Singleton 25, Yixuan Cheng 27, Jade Young 47, Pikria Darchia 55 and security guard Faraz Tahir 30. Multiple others were injured, including Ms. Good’s baby Harriet.

Two brothers took care of the baby at the shopping centre after the mother handed her into their arms, asking them to help.

The shocked men spoke to Nine News directly after the incident, explaining that they helped with “holding the baby and trying to compress the baby and staying with the mother” as they phoned the ambulance and police.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Canberra has issued a warning for citizens to “remain vigilant” following the Bondi Junction tragedy.

The notice warns citizens in Australia to be aware of their surroundings, pay attention to personal security, and have situational awareness.

“As this incident showed, dangerous events can occur in the most unexpected of areas. Visitors to congested and popular tourist areas should pay particular attention to their surroundings and always follow the instructions of police and emergency response officials,” the warning states.