A man is in serious condition after being taken to the hospital following a brawl involving around 10 individuals, which led to a lockdown at Northland Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s northeast.
Emergency services responded to the incident at the Murray Road centre in Preston shortly after 2:30 p.m., after receiving reports of a confrontation between rival groups, some allegedly armed with knives.
Victoria Police confirmed that one man was hospitalized in serious but stable condition.
Two other men have been arrested and are currently being questioned by police. The shopping centre remains under lockdown as authorities continue their investigation.
While the full details are still under review, police believe the confrontation was targeted and that those involved were known to each other.
Investigators are urging anyone who was in the area and may have witnessed the altercation to come forward.
The lockdown created panic among shoppers, with several unverified images and videos circulating online. Two separate Facebook videos showed a man being restrained on the ground—one showed him wearing a face mask, while the other did not, making it unclear if the same individual was featured in both clips.
Footage also depicted the scene outside, with police vehicles arriving rapidly, a helicopter hovering above, and crowds gathering in the parking lot.
Shoppers told 3AW radio that they were confined within individual stores. “Tell people to avoid the area until it’s declared safe,” said Bill, whose daughter was inside the centre.
Liberal MP for Northern Metropolitan Region, Evan Mulholland, also urged the public to steer clear of the area via a social media post around 4 p.m.
“Avoid the area. The police operation is ongoing,” he wrote.
“Several offenders were seen carrying machetes. Shopping centres should be safe spaces for families. Northland is a key destination for many, including my own family just yesterday.
“We are renewing our call for the Labor Government to immediately implement a machete ban.”
