Wild gang brawl sees teens bashed by African gang in St Kilda

A large gang of youths have gone on a violent rampage along St Kilda’s esplanade, committing crimes along the way.

A large gang of youths has allegedly bashed and robbed tourists in a wild brawl at Melbourne’s St Kilda Beach.

Police said they struggled to contain the violent situation on the St Kilda foreshore as young people of African appearance, allegedly robbed and assaulted beachgoers on Wednesday night.

Witnesses say there were hundreds of youths and police struggled to contain the violence.

“The police officers handled it the best they could but they were really outnumbered and struggled to get a hold on it,” witness Greg Robinson told Seven News.

A 16-year-old boy and his friends were allegedly punched in the face and robbed on the foreshore, with the youths stealing their phones, watches and the shirts off their backs.

“They left them standing half nude in the street”, the boy’s father Alex Carter told Seven News.

A large gang of youths has bashed and robbed beachgoers and fought with each other in shocking scenes at Melbourne's St Kilda Beach. Police say the large gang, described as African in appearance, are wanted over a series of robberies and assaults at the beach. #StKilda #7News pic.twitter.com/xH0YHvUUHM

— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) December 14, 2017

“These guys are so clever the way they do it (the robberies), that it just sort of looks like a couple of teenagers having a bit of fun.”

The gang then went to St Kilda McDonald’s, where they threw furniture, smashed windows and continued to fight inside the restaurant.

Mobile phone footage taken at the scene shows youths fighting in front of beachgoers.

In one clip posted to social media a girl can be seen punching and elbowing another girl in the head.

Police won’t detail how many people were attacked and robbed, but one witness, Ian McDonald told Channel Seven he estimated there were around 200 people involved in the brawl.

Inspector Jason Kelly described their behaviour as “completely unacceptable,” and urged them to hand themselves into police before they are tracked down.

With AAP