Riot Squad Deals With Unruly Party in Melbourne Suburb

Riot police were called to deal with a party in a Melbourne suburb that got out of control. It took police hours to get the situation under control, said one street resident. Channel Nine

Riot police were called in to control a violent party in the early hours of Wednesday morning in what is usually a quiet Melbourne street in Australia.

Large numbers of riot police were called in after local police were pelted with rocks by party goers renting an Airbnb house in the south-west Melbourne suburb of Werribee. Witnesses and local media reports say the incident involved dozens of youths of African appearance.

Dozens of youths of African appearance trashed a quite Melbourne street in the suburb of Werribee, Australia, on Dec.
20, 2017. Screenshot via 7 News

Amanda, who lives directly across the road from the house, told radio station 3AW it took the police over two hours to get the situation under control after rocks were first thrown.

Initially, police were called because of complaints about noise coming from the party. The previous night, a party was held in the same house that didn’t finish until 4.30 am, said Amanda who has a three-year-old child and is currently six months pregnant.

Police retreated when the party goers attacked them with rocks. It was at that point that the riot squad was called in. One officer was injured during the confrontation.

Several cars, including a police car, were also damaged and their windows smashed, reported the ABC.

A man armed with a baseball bat went to protect his daughter who had a rock thrown through one of her house windows.

Given the scale of what occurred and the damage done, Amanda said she was surprised that no arrests were made.

“They were walking up to the police directly and throwing stuff, I was quite surprised that no one was dealt with straight away, especially the young females who I believed were renting the Airbnb,” she said.

When the sun came up and the situation was finally under control, locals described the street as looking like something from a war zone.

Nearby resident Robert told 3AW that a terrible mess had been left behind.

“They tore pickets out of the nature strip… rocks were strewn over the road and bins were pushed over. It looked like a war zone,” Robert said.

The house were the party was held has also been extensively damaged. Police cordoned off the area and maintained a presence.

Police said the party has been linked to a nearby South Sudanese basketball tournament, reported 3AW.

Victoria Police Inspector Martin Allison said the identity of those involved was being investigated, reported the ABC.

“The behaviour that was displayed this morning is unacceptable and intolerable,” Allison said.

“The message we need to get to the community, to the people that behave[d] so appallingly, is they will be held to account,” he said.

“They will be held to account for their behavior and they will be held to account for their conduct inside the house and out on the street.”

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From NTD.tv