Police taunted as drunk teens arrested at Hawthorn park after window smashed
Stunned Hawthorn residents heard screams and saw a fence being bashed in as drunken youths ran amok, with locals saying they didn’t “expect to see a riot” in the leafy eastern suburb.
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Neighbours heard screams and “nasty” verbal attacks on police after public order officers were called to “youths causing trouble” in a popular Hawthorn park last night.
Public order response police and local officers were called to Central Park, also known as rocket park, in Henry St about 7pm.
Two 18-year-old men were arrested for public drunkenness, while a 17-year-old boy was “conveyed home into the care of his parents due to being alcohol affected”.
Victoria Police spokeswoman Scout Rigoni said police were also investigating reports that a window had been smashed.
Public order response police were called to Hawthorn’s popular rocket park last night where two 18-year-olds were arrested for public drunkenness and another teen was sent home to his parents @theheraldsun https://t.co/SnnPLmRdPA pic.twitter.com/MSIg9QdNE0
— Monique Hore (@moniquehore) October 23, 2019
“Police were called to a park in Henry Street, Hawthorn last night about 7pm after reports of youths causing trouble,” she said.
DO YOU KNOW MORE? EMAIL: monique.hore@news.com.au
“Local police and officers from the Public Order Response Team attended and spoke to a group of youths.
“Police are also investigating reports of a smashed window at a residence in Henry Street.”
One Henry St resident said he called the police after hearing “screams” and later saw the youths “bashing in” a nearby fence.
A series of police cars whizzed down the street while he was on the phone to triple-0.
“There was an altercation between the police and the people,” the resident, who did not wish to be named, said.
“The rioters — I’ll call them — had their phone up in their (the officer’s) face totally trying to razz them up.
“From what I could see the police were being calm.”
The resident also said that police were subjected to verbal abuse and swearing, including “f-this, f-that, you-something-or-other to the police”.
”It was horrible,” he said.
“Lots of neighbours came out. You don’t expect to see a riot go on in Hawthorn.”
Another resident, who was walking his dog in the park when police arrived, said youths backchatted police as they as attempted to disperse the crowd.
“They were getting a hard time from the fence,” he said.
“Young people were standing on the outside of the fence at the park and they were yelling out and making nasty remarks and that to the police.
“The police weren’t paying a lot of attention to them, they were just concerned about what was going on.”
A third Henry St resident earlier told the Herald Sun that he heard shouting but “didn’t pay too much attention to it".
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“Now I’m reflecting on it, it was quite aggressive,” the resident said.
“I can recall someone shouting. At the time I was at the back of the house so I didn’t hear exactly what was said.”
Police urged anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or file a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.