Pacific Epping, Melbourne: Terrified customers run for cover after brawl involving machetes and a gun broke out at a suburban shopping centre
A suburban shopping center was thrown into chaos overnight after a fight broke out between a group of men during which a gun was fired.
Witnesses told police the men used machetes and fired a gun during the brawl outside the Pacific Epping shopping center in Melbourne’s north about 8pm on Friday.
When police arrived on the scene, the group had already left.
Investigators immediately began searching the area and found evidence that a gun had been fired. However, no one is believed to have been injured by the firearm.
A 22-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy, both from Lalor, presented themselves to a hospital with injuries believed to have been caused by a sharp weapon.
The condition of the 22-year-old man is serious and is under police guard.
The 16-year-old male has non-life-threatening injuries and is assisting police with the investigation.
Police were called to Pacific Epping Shopping Center after reports a gun had been fired
Residents of the shopping center took cover on Friday evening after the wild brawl broke out
Pacific Epping general manager Andrew Drivas said emergency services responded quickly to the altercation.
“Fortunately, there were no casualties and police arrested several people involved,” he said.
“The center’s incident management procedures were activated in a coordinated manner and existing protocols for responding to such incidents were followed as planned.”
Mr Drivas said the safety and well-being of the community was always their priority and something they took very seriously.
When police arrived, the group of men involved in the brawl had fled, but officers found evidence that a gun had been fired
Additional security staff have been deployed to the site to assist a security team that already patrols the area 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in addition to an extensive CCTV network operating throughout the centre.
“We continue to work with the police to support increased levels of security throughout the area,” Mr Drivas said.
“As this is an ongoing police investigation, it would be inappropriate to share any further details. We will continue to assist police with their investigation into the incident.”
Police have asked anyone with footage of the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.