A suburban shopping centre was plunged into chaos overnight after a brawl broke out between a group of men in which a gun was fired.
Witnesses told police the men used machetes and discharged a gun during the brawl about 8pm on Friday outside the Pacific Epping shopping centre in Melbourne‘s north.
When police arrived at the scene the group had already left.
Investigators began an immediate search of the area and found evidence that a gun had been fired, however no one is believed to have been injured from the firearm.
A 22-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy, both from Lalor, self-presented to a hospital with injures thought to be caused by an edged weapon.
The 22-year-old male is in a serious condition and under police guard.
The 16-year-old male has non-life-threatening injuries and is assisting police with their inquiries.
Police were called to Pacific Epping shopping centre after reports a gun was fired
Patrons at the shopping centre on a Friday night ran for cover 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 of the individuals involved,’ he said.
‘The centre’s incident management procedures were activated in a co-ordinated manner, and protocols in place to respond to such incidents were followed as planned.’
Mr Drivas said the safety and wellbeing 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 a gun had been fired
Extra 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, alongside an extensive CCTV network that operates throughout the centre.
‘We are continuing work with police to support a heightened level of security across the local 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 in their investigation of the incident.’
Police have asked anyone with footage of the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.