Young thugs using social media to stream vicious gang fights in Dandenong and surrounds
Thugs are using social media to draw crowds to planned gang fights at shopping centres and schoolyards in Melbourne suburbs including Dandenong. One disturbing video shows a youth wielding a hunting knife as he heads to a brawl.
South East
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Young thugs are using social media to organise and live stream vicious gang fights in Melbourne’s suburbs.
Shopping centres, schools and fast food restaurants across Melbourne’s southeast including Dandenong are increasingly becoming venues for violent brawls.
In one chilling Instagram post a group of youths brandish a large hunting knife with text on the video saying: “We’re coming for you sudo dogs”, ‘sudo’ an abbreviation for Sudanese.
Footage of a mob brawling at Dandenong Plaza shopping centre’s food court in June shows rival teens throwing chairs and punching each other.
Concerned parents saidthey knew of dozens of rival youth gangs from Cranbourne, Dandenong, Hampton Park and Oakleigh challenging each other to fights. A mother whose 14-year-old son was allegedly attacked and robbed by six teens at Westfield Fountain Gate’s food court in April, said she was aware of youths uploading “disgusting footage” onto Instagram and Snapchat.
“They’re filming these fights to brag to each other and I think it’s so revolting,” the mum, who didn’t want to be named, said.
“These youths don’t understand how much damage they’re causing and they don’t realise the harm this will also cause them in the long-run.”
Another mother, who shops at Dandenong Plaza, said she was concerned about how brazen the brawling groups had become.
“It’s concerning that they’re openly fighting in front of families — someone could get hurt. “It’s so shocking they’re taking the piss at this on social media,” she said.
The gangs upload their fight footage onto popular Instagram pages where they are being viewed hundreds of times.
They also repeatedly open and close social media accounts to try to stay a step ahead of the police.
La Trobe federal Liberal MP Jason Wood said concerned parents had contacted him about a surge in teens live streaming fights.
“It’s a phenomena on social media where we’re seeing violent fights in schoolyards and shopping centres,” Mr Wood said.
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“We need the state government to implement early intervention programs to help youths out as they desperately need activities to take part in.”
He said he was pushing for violent thugs in Australia on visas to be deported.
“My views and the federal government’s views are they should be deported — we’ve been calling for this for a long time as the public need to be protected,” he said.
Armada Dandenong Plaza centre manager Monica Jenkins said the incident at the centre was isolated and couldn’t comment as it was being investigated by police.
Greater Dandenong Local Area Commander Inspector Mark Langhorn said violent or unruly behaviour in a public place, such as shopping centres, would not be tolerated by police.
“Local police regularly patrol shopping complexes and surrounding areas, providing community reassurance with a focus on the prevention and detection of crime,” Insp Langhorn said.
He said police often used content posted on social media to investigate crimes.
Last week, a vicious brawl involving armed youths at Oakleigh’s Eaton Mall, where police were forced to use capsicum spray, was captured on video.