Gang violence fears after one man stabbed with machete, three arrested after a fight in CBD

A man’s charges have been upgraded after city gang fight earlier this month involving a machete.

A man has had his charges upgraded after a city brawl that left multiple people with stab wounds earlier this month as part of a probe into violence between gangs of Sudanese youths.

Two men required surgery for life threatening injuries and others were stabbed after the large fight broke out in the early hours of Sunday, March 13.

Police were called to the Producers or Nairobi bar (the Old Exchange) on Grenfell St just after 1am to find several people had been stabbed or assaulted with weapons including a machete.

Operation Meld took over the investigation, a special taskforce formed to target feuding youth gangs of Sudanese heritage in Adelaide’s north and west.

Following inquiries members of Operation Meld today arrested a Hillcrest man, 21, in connection to the incident. He had previously been charged with aggravated affray and was on bail but further reviews of evidence led police to further charge him with two counts of aggravated assault causing serious harm and assault causing harm.

He was refused bail, to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Police say they’ve recovered multiple weapons allegedly used in this morning’s brawl including a machete. Six people are in hospital. @7NewsAdelaidepic.twitter.com/Sb3NxotRQp

— Nathan Regter (@RegterNathan) March 12, 2022

A Craigmore boy, 17, was arrested three days after the fight following inquiries and charged with aggravated affray.

He refused bail to appear at the Adelaide Youth Court.

Shortly after the incident a Munno Para West man, 18, was arrested and charged with affray and disorderly behaviour while a Paralowie man, 22, was charged with disorderly behaviour and refusing to provide information to police.

East End resident and former SA premier, Lynn Arnold said that the incident was “a very unpleasant event”.

“It was loud, aggressive,” he said, “There was swearing, shouting.”

This isn’t the first time Mr Arnold has been woken up by noise from the same venue.

His community has contacted the licensee of the venue, Friday Juma about the consistent noise from the venue but there has been no resolution.
“We don’t mind living in the city and having noise but that was too much” Mr Arnold said.

“But clearly the more serious problem is the failure to manage what’s happening there,” he said, “The fact that people feel they could carry weapons is really alarming.”

Former Premier, Lynn Arnold outside The Nairobi Affair Lounge in Adelaide, where a brawl took place overnight. Picture: Matt Loxton

Police were called to the Nairobi Affair Lounge in Adelaide after a brawl on Sunday, March 13. Picture: Matt Loxton

Lindsay Ryan, who is one the presiding officers of the strata across the road from the bar said that criminal incidents have been rising around his area.

Mr Ryan was woken up by what sounded like “150 people walking” before he heard a women yelling.

“There’s been incidents across the road over the past few months,” he said.

“We’ve got our own police record rolling or continuing to gather evidence that just keeps growing on the report.”

Interstate visitor Stewart Gillies said he heard screams and a brawl going go.

Originally published as Gang violence fears after one man stabbed with machete, three arrested after a fight in CBD