Originally Posted by
The Australian
Police will double the number of officers they have at Melbourne’s Chelsea Beach tonight following a horror evening that saw youths glass a young man, bash three others and rob beachgoers of their belongings.
Superintendent Sharon McKinnon said no arrests have been made over last night’s 30 minute crime spree that left a 19-year-old in hospital, but police would double resources at the suburban beach tonight. She said five people were assaulted in three separate attacks, after a group of youths described as being of African appearance were seen stealing unattended belongs at the beach at 9.30pm last night. A glass bottle and a plastic cricket bat were used in the “unprovoked” attacks, Supt McKinnon said.
“Investigators have been told a number of swimmers were in the water when the group approached their unattended belongings on the beach,” Supt McKinnon said this morning. “A male swimmer confronted the group and was assaulted before they fled, taking mobile phones and purses.“A short time later, the group approached three men (and) they assaulted a 28-year-old man and stole his mobile phone. The other two men, aged 25 and 30, were also assaulted.” The most serious attack happened when the group then approached a 19-year-old man who was sitting on the beach. “He was struck on the head with a glass bottle and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and I understand he’s received some stitches and has recovered well,” she said. “Two other victims were treated by the ambulance at the scene for minor injuries.” She said the attackers were described as African in appearance, aged in their late teens or early 20s. “No arrests have been made at this stage, but we are following some good inquiries this morning and we expect there will be some very swift action that will be taken,” she said.
Melbourne beach’s horror night of attacks
Youths have glassed a young man, bashed others and robbed beachgoers of their belongings during a horror night on a Melbourne beach last night, which coincided with police being pelted with rocks in the western suburbs. A series of incidents throughout the night at Chelsea Beach, in Melbourne’s southeast, culminated in what witnesses said was a series of crimes committed by a group of teenagers of African appearance. This saw unattended belongings stolen from the beach at about 9.30pm. A man reportedly saw them and confronted them, before being assaulted. According to 3AW, the youths then fled. Three men, aged 25, 28 and 30, were later approached, assaulted and the attackers stole a mobile phone. A 19-year-old man reportedly had a glass bottle smashed over his head, and was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Victoria Police are holding a press conference about the matter this morning. This comes after six youths were arrested over an unrelated brawl and a separate robbery in St Albans, in the northwestern suburbs, that took place on Christmas Eve. Those arrests followed Facebook posts urging vigilante groups be formed by members of the Vietnamese community to battle what was claimed to be increasing violence by youths of African appearance. The arrests were made after police were called to the Sunshine train station where they found a large group of youths at 10.30pm last night. “While police were arresting the teens others from the large gathering started throwing rocks at police, injuring one officer from the Public Order Response Team,” a police spokeswoman said. Two of the arrested males were believed to have been involved in the December 24 brawl, while four were allegedly involved in a robbery in St Albans on December 19.
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