AUSTRALIA - Brawl involving 200 erupts in Melbourne

Brawl involving 200 erupts in Melbourne

Saturday, September 26, 2009

A 15-year-old boy has been rushed to hospital with a stab wound in the chest after a brawl involving 200 youths in Melbourne's west on Friday night.

The clash - mainly involving Asian and Pacific Islander youths, some armed with knives and umbrellas - erupted about 4.15pm (AEST) in a car park at Highpoint, Maribyrnong.

No arrests have been made and it is not known what sparked the trouble.

When police arrived the youths scattered, Footscray police Sergeant Jacob Bugeja said.

"We are still piecing together what happened," he told AAP.

"There was a large number of people milling in the area and police have spoken to many of them."

The injured youth had been taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a stable condition and was assisting police with their inquiries, he said.

A similar-sized brawl at Highpoint in October 2007 involved African youths from the Flemington high-rise flats.

On that occasion there were in fact two brawls, one inside a cinema and the other in the shopping centre, which had to be shut down. Police arrested and charged several youths.