Broadmeadows teens terrorise staff, brawl, push cop cars on suburban streets

A fed-up northern suburbs shop owner is pleading with local parents to wrangle their kids as wayward teens terrorise staff, taunt cops and brawl on local streets.

A fuming northern suburbs shop owner says he’s ready to close his doors after almost nightly run-ins with wayward local teens terrorising his staff and wreaking havoc on local streets.

Fed-up Broadmeadows waffle-shop owner Yussef El-leissy said groups of up to 30 local kids were being left to roam the streets, fighting, threatening his staff and driving away his customers.

In the latest chaotic incident, caught on CCTV, more than a dozen teens aged from early to late teens can be seen crowding the front of Indulge Waffles, located on King William St, and arguing with staff members.

Yussef El-leissy is considering closing his family owned and operated business, Indulge Waffles, after it was trashed by kids. Picture: Jason Edwards

A shocking video compilation of the teens’ late night antics, obtained by the Sunday Herald Sun, also shows the boys fighting on suburban streets, running from the police and pushing cop cars.

The teens posted the video to social media with rap song, Gangsta Party, this week, goading local cops.

Mr El-leissy said he had called the police 13 times in the past month, with his staff now too fearful to come to work at the store.

Police intervene with youths after they trashed Indulge Waffles restaurant in Broadmeadows.

The teens violent brawl was uploaded on social media.

He said the teens had stood on tables, broken glasses and damaged furniture.

“They’ll run around in my shop, they’ll swear at my staff, they’ll cat call my staff,” he said.

While officers often sent the kids away, the frustrated small business owner said they would come straight back to taunt staff.

“They’ll tell my staff what did you think was going to happen?” he said.

“The kids know they won’t be charged for their crimes”

“The fact they know they’re going to get off scot-free allows them to do what they want”.

It comes amid record youth crime in Victoria, and as the Allan government brings in a series of new bail and knife reforms labelled the “toughest in the country”.

CCTV from Indulge Waffles shows police telling the youths to leave the store.

New statistics published this week show crimes committed by children aged under 18 jumped to their highest levels since 1993, when records were first kept.

Elleissy said when he moved his shop to Broadmeadows about a year and a half ago there were no issues.

But in the past month, as many local parents mark the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, kids were being left “alone for hours” to cause chaos on the streets.

“I hear from the Lebanese kids: “I don’t know where my parents are,” he said.

Elleissy said police had suggested that he hire private security.

Yussef El-leissy is now contemplating closing the store down due to the surge in crime. Picture: Jason Edwards

“The best option now is to lock the gate and close the doors,” he said.

“If this issue goes on after Ramadan I think within one week I’ll just close down the shop, cancel the lease and move to a different location.”

“The staff are scared. The staff don’t want to come to work anymore”.

A Victoria Police spokesperson said officers were called to the store about 10.15pm on Friday 21 March following “reports of people causing trouble”.

“Officers promptly arrived on scene and moved a group of teenage males on without incident,” she said.

“Eight males were warned in relation to the incident.

“There were no offences detected.

“Police routinely patrol the area to ensure public safety.”

Originally published as Broadmeadows teens terrorise staff, brawl, push cop cars on suburban streets