Melbourne crime: suburb lives in fear of ‘Blood Drill Killers’ gang

An emerging African youth gang called the ‘Blood Drill Killers’ has traders in a Melbourne suburb fearing for their safety.

Dan Mai, the owner of the Song Huong Vietnamese restaurant. Picture: Aaron Francis

Police insist they have an emerging African youth gang going by the name “Blood Drill Killers” under control, but traders in one of the Melbourne suburbs hardest hit by violent attacks still fear for their safety ahead of Lunar New Year celebrations next weekend.

Shopkeepers, restaurant owners and locals along Alfrieda Street in St Albans in the city’s west say they’re powerless to stop groups of African Australian teens stealing and assaulting customers and are scared to walk the street after dark.

Confirmation by police of the emerging threat has come after a 46-year-old man was hospitalised on Christmas Eve with cuts to his face following an alleged attack by a group of African youths outside St Albans’ Song Huong Vietnamese restaurant.

The previous day, a group of 20 youths armed with baseball bats threw tables and chairs at patrons outside B&D Kitchen next door.

An alleged gang member faced a children’s court on Friday charged over a December 19 robbery and assault.

Police from Wayward Taskforce had argued against the 17-year-old’s release on bail because of concerns he would “join up with other members of BDK and engage in another affray”. The boy was bailed on the condition he stay away from St Albans.

Song Huong restaurant owner Dan Mai, 52, told The Australian through an interpreter he was trying to continue with business as usual, but many staff were frightened and feared violence when the street celebrates Vietnamese New Year at the St Albans Lunar Festival on January 6.

“We are scared of the gangs, that maybe they will come back,” said Song Huong waiter Ben Tran, who interpreted for Mr Mai.

Across the road at Lucky Bubble tea and DVD shop, 24-year-old Chloe Hoang said she had DVDs stolen from the shop several times a week: “I can’t stop them. I don’t want to stop them because I don’t know what they’ll do to me. I’m just me and there’s a big group of them, dark-skinned boys.

“It’s really scary and it’s getting worse. We call the police and they don’t come because it happens all the time.”

An elderly Vietnamese man who runs a phone repair business in the street declined to be named for fear of retribution: “They steal phone cover all the time, nearly every day. I say ‘You have to pay,’ and they just take it and go. They attack people on street, steal phones, money.”

Police said the Blood Drill Killers or BDK had been linked to a number of robbery and affray offences in the western suburbs, some committed in conjunction with another African youth gang called Menace to Society.

“Police have been monitoring the group for several months now and Wayward Taskforce are confident they know the identity of the majority if not all of BDK members,” Victoria Police said in a statement. “Police have arrested a number of teenagers linked to BDK in the past few weeks.”

The new gang threat comes as far-right groups were accused at the weekend of deliberately inflaming tensions. They have called for a rally to “Reclaim St Kilda Beach” on Australia Day following a spate of violent incidents involving African youths at the popular tourist destination.