Police arrested five people and used capsicum spray as groups clash in Melbourne CBD

Twenty people were arrested in Melbourne’s CBD over the Moomba weekend, but police have declared themselves happy with crowd behaviour. It comes as footage of chaotic scenes was captured in a dramatic video, with police using capsicum spray in a bid to stop the violence around Flinders St.

Police arrested 20 people over the course of the Moomba weekend but declared themselves happy with how people behaved.

Brawling youths repeatedly clashed in the city at the weekend as violence again marred Moomba.

Police arrested five people and squirted capsicum spray in an effort to quell the violence.

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Hundreds of officers were on duty as three brawls broke out around St Paul’s Cathedral and Flinders St station between 10pm on Saturday and 2.30am on Sunday.

But Commander Tim Hansen said footage of clashes at Flinders St station was disappointing, but was a “minuscule of what the whole Moomba event was about”.

Groups of youths from Melbourne’s southeast and western suburbs were responsible for some of the trouble which did occur.

Police were tracking the youths as they caught public transport into the CBD and swooped on them as soon as violence flared up.

Authorities said the three brawls were linked.

“We monitor through our intelligence every weekend, the behaviour of this group,” Cdr Hansen said.

“It is a group that is quite dynamic. It ranges in number from 100 to 150 to sometimes 200 ti 250. They are networked on social media, they know each other, some of them absolutely assume banners and tags of street gangs.

“There is some preexisting tension between these groups. We have known that for some time. We have been very successful in disrupting planned fights.”

The fight continued on into Flinders Street station.

Commander Hansen said police were pleased with the behaviour of the vast majority of people in Melbourne over the weekend.”We had 1.3 million people turn up to the Melbourne CBD to celebrate Moomba (and) I think we had a really successful weekend,” Cdr Hansen said.

“We have been happy with the event. This is a big city event. We deployed in excess of a thousand extra shifts over three days.”

Five people were arrested for being drunk, eight for assault, one for a behaviour offence, five for other offences including drug offences and one person for weapon-related offences.

Two penalty notices were issued — one for rioting and one for weapons offences.

“We have done a comparison to this time last year and what we are seeing at the moment is a significant downward trend in both crimes against the person and total crime,” Commander Hansen said.

“That’s not to say we haven’t seen some incidents and behaviour that concerns us.”

BRAWLS ERUPT AS RIVAL YOUTHS CLASH

Video shows that much of the anger erupted during confrontations involving youths of African, islander and caucasian appearance.

One fed-up police officer shouted at a young female: “Last chance: she goes home or she goes to jail.”

Exclusive Herald Sun footage captured one brawl outside St Paul’s Cathedral in which a shirtless male throwing punches was surrounded by a pack of youths wearing hoodies.

The fight gathered momentum before dozens of police, including the mounted brigade, dispersed the warring parties.

Victoria Police spokeswoman Alex Day said: “It is understood on each occasion, two groups of youths began fighting before … police immediately intervened. Police believe the three fights are linked.”

The youths soon reconvened on the steps of Flinders St station and stampeded inside, where the Herald Sun saw a male being kicked and stomped on by three others.

Stills from a video taken in the early hours of Sunday morning of youths fighting outside St Paul’s Cathedral during the Moomba Festival.

A man is arrested near the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets overnight. Picture: Sophie Welsh

Police quickly stopped this using capsicum spray, which wafted through the station.

Many officers were seen dousing their faces with water. Young girls also caught by the spray cried in Swanston St.

One told the Herald Sun: “I didn’t even do anything.”

Police were seen searching people who raised their suspicions for weapons.

A rank-and-file officer told the Herald Sun police were aware rival groups had planned to meet in the CBD.

Police said they could not comment on specific intelligence and refused to comment on a reason for the brawls, as the inquiry was continuing.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the violence was not linked to Moomba, and was “unfortunately some of the normal activities that go on during those hours in the city”.

Opposition police spokesman David Southwick said brawls were “shockingly becoming the norm” at a once family-friendly Moomba.

He said the violence was ruining Melbourne’s reputation as one of the world’s most liveable cities.

The government needed to do more to curb youth violence, three years after Premier Daniel Andrews promised to “smash” gangs responsible for riots at the 2016 festival, he said.

“We saw tourists visiting Melbourne over this long weekend caught up in these kinds of bashings and violence,” Mr Southwick said.

“This is not the reputation we want Melbourne to represent to the rest of the world.”

A government spokeswoman said “well prepared” police responded to a “small number of incidents”, as they did every Saturday night.

“We’d encourage people to get out and enjoy our wonderful city this long weekend.”

TOURISTS CAUGHT IN MIDST OF BRAWLS

Hundreds of police, brawling youths, capsicum spray, vulgar profanities and weapons searches — all were evident as trouble flared in Melbourne’s CBD on Saturday night.

Tourists were forced to cower in fear as police used capsicum spray to quell clashing youths.

It took police four hours to disperse the youths and end the chaos.

Young families were visibly horrified when they saw two youths with blood pouring from head wounds following one of the brawls.

Laurence Evans, 18, visiting from Sheffield in England, witnessed the rowdy scenes about 1am yesterday.

“I’ve seen an unbelievable turnout of police in Flinders St station,” he said. “I don’t know if I want to visit (Melbourne) again.

“I can’t even count, there’s more police here than actual people going to the station. It’s just weird.”

Hundreds of police were in the city ahead of the festival.

Hundreds of police — some on horses — flooded the CBD on high alert for a repeat of the violence that marred Moomba in 2016.

Despite the heavy police presence, a hardcore group of violent youths was intent on causing trouble.

Footage taken by the ­Herald Sun showed some of them ignoring direct police instructions. Some of the violence took place within metres of dozens of officers.

Another witness, Ben Hollenberg, said he heard “all this screaming” when he was waiting for a train.

“I saw one guy being arrested by six or seven cops, pushed down to the ground. (It was) completely excessive,” he told the Herald Sun.

“A cop came up and pushed me and said ‘f--- off’.

“This is definitely not another Saturday night; I’ve never seen this many people here.”

Three brawls broke out around St Paul’s Cathedral and the nearby station.

African-Australian community leaders had a visible presence throughout the evening and appeared distressed when scuffles broke out between ethnic groups.

Api Tumama said he saw “a lot of police” in the CBD.

“There’s heaps of police around,” he said.

“I’m just looking at everyone doing dumb s--- … jumping each other.

“I seen all of them getting pepper-sprayed. I almost got into it because the spray was going everywhere.”

In the 2016 Moomba riots, two gangs caused hours of ­violence that Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton labelled “abhorrent”.

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