Car driven into pedestrians during Collingwood brawl

Police defend their response to a Melbourne brawl, involving up to 70 youths of African appearance and a man who drove into pedestrians.

Police investigate a car accident at the scene of a brawl in Mater Street, Collingwood in Melbourne, Sunday, September 2, 2018. (AAP Image/Julian Smith) NO ARCHIVING

Victoria Police are yet to arrest a driver who drove his car into pedestrians during a wild brawl in Melbourne’s inner-north and seriously injured an 18-year-old man.

North West Metro Commander Tim Hansen said a group of up to 14 detectives has been assigned to investigate how a fight inside Collingwood’s Gasometer Hotel led to a street brawl and six people going to hospital.

Police were keeping a “watching brief” on the 66 Records launch at the Gasometer last night, due to the large numbers of Pacific Islanders and African-Australians attending.

“He was going at a blistering pace and he was f..king aiming for people straight at them,” a witness who lives in nearby Mater Street told the Herald Sun, describing the brawl that preceded the crash as “like a cyclone coming down the street.”

“Everyone was screaming. I didn’t see the moment of impact but it was clear he had just one agenda: to annihilate people.”

Commander Hansen said the six people who were sent to hospital with injuries from the fight were aged between 16 and 21. The alleged driver of the car pinned an 18-year-old to another vehicle, who sustained serious leg injuries.

But persons of interest left the scene very quickly and have not yet been arrested, Commander Hansen said.

“Some key persons we are looking for left before or soon after police arrival. We conducted a search of the vicinity, we were unable to find those persons at that time,” Commander Hansen said.

“Our attention has then turned to rendering assistance to those who have been injured and the preservation of the crime scene.

“We have a person of interest who is related to the car ... we expect to make an arrest in the next 24 hours.”

An injured man is helped at the scene. Picture: 7News

Commander Hansen also said the African-Australian Community Taskforce, formed last January to tackle African youth crime, had not yet been contacted as part of the investigation.

Melbourne residents who watched terrified as a wild brawl unfolded outside their homes last night in Collingwood said that police were “completely unnumbered” and were unable to control the crowd when a car ploughed into a group of pedestrians.

A male Collingwood resident was drawn to his windows at 2.30am on Sunday morning when a group of about 60 to 70 youths of African appearance started brawling outside his window.

“We were directly above it … we could see around 60-70 people in the middle of the street blocking traffic and a number of smaller scuffles,” the man, who wants to remain anonymous told The Australian.

“The crowd kept moving down towards the Gasometer Hotel when a single police car appeared. Things escalated at this point, with the police completely outnumbered and seemingly unable to control the crowd.

“Shortly afterwards we heard a loud crash.”

Police were called to the scene after around 200 teens and young adults left a venue on nearby Smith Street in Collingwood and broke into violence on the street.

The brawl escalated when a car drove down Mater Street and hit a parked car before ploughing into a number of members of the brawling group, injuring them.

One patient was in a stable condition in Royal Melbourne Hospital this morning and is expected to spend the day, while another five are being treated in other hospitals.

One person suffered serious leg injuries from being hit by the car, while the other five casualties sustained injuries during the street brawl.

Neighbours on the street have reported seeing groups of African youths aged between 14 and 20 years old brawling on the street, and shouting and yelling after the car crashed into the group with a loud bang.

The brawl escalated when a car drove down Mater Street and hit a parked car before ploughing into a number of members of the brawling group.

The brawl represents the latest outbreak of violence related to African-Australian youths, following more than eighteen months in which a small group of repeat offenders have been responsible for home invasions, carjackings, as well as riots and out-of-control brawls in rental properties, St Kilda beach and parks in Melbourne’s northwest.

Police have been criticised in the past three months for taking an approach in brawls and riots which prioritises dispersing the crowd quickly and peacefully over making arrests.

Victorian Police Association chief executive Wayne Gatt called for minimum staffing numbers at police stations to make sure that police can be a visible presence on the street, and can stop brawls before they even start.

“We’re coming from behind the eight-ball,” Mr Gatt told 3AW.

“Victorians need to see more police on our streets every week, where years ago, we would have had police walking in and out of licensed venues every day Friday and Saturday night, checking on patrons, looking for trouble spots, we simply don’t have the same numbers anchored to police stations, I think that’s one of the problems we’re confronting here.”

“We need to make sure we’re able to actively get out there.”

He said that it was possible the brawl would have been worse if it had broken out in suburbs further away from the city, where police resources are thinner.

“We’re lucky it was Collingwood where they could draw on the divisional resources that are available in the city, had this happened further out in the south eastern or western or northern suburbs, the police response wouldn’t have been the same because the numbers aren’t there, particularly at those times,”

“I think we’ve undervalued the police resources that are placed across Victoria … this needs to change. I think the community are starting to demand that, they want to see more police.”

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding an incident in Collingwood early this morning. Police have been told up to 200 people were leaving an event at a licensed premisesÕ in Smith Street near Mater Street when a fight broke out about 2.45am.Six people were injured as a result of the fight and taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.Police are also investigating the circumstances after a vehicle crashed into parked cars and struck a pedestrian at the time of the incident.The male received serious leg injuries and was taken to hospital.Police remain on the scene and request that people avoid the area. Picture: Sarah MatrayPolice have blocked Smith Street in both directions between Alexander Parade and Hotham Streets. Picture: Sarah Matray

Police were called to the scene after around 200 teens and young adults left a venue on nearby Smith Street in Collingwood and broke into violence on the street.