Wild Westfield: Violence at 'Australia's most dangerous shopping centre' escalates as two girls are knifed in 30-youth brawl
- A brawl involving 30 teens broke out at Westfield Fountain Gate on Tuesday
- A teenage girl was taken to hospital with stab wound injuries
- Another stabbing victim arrived at the hospital on her own with 'serious injuries'
- The Melbourne mall has been called the 'most unsafe' in the state
- A string a assaults have also been reported at the centre as far back as 2016
Two girls have been stabbed after a brawl involving 30 teenagers broke out at a Melbourne shopping centre.
Police were called to Westfield Fountain Gate in Narre Warren on Tuesday after receiving reports of a fight between two groups of teens around 9.30pm.
One girl was rushed to the hospital with a serious stab wound, while another stabbing victim arrived on her own with serious injuries.
Another woman, believed to be in her 20s, was treated at the scene, the Herald Sun reported.
Most of the teens fled the scene before police arrived and no charges have been laid at this time.
Police were called to Westfield Fountain Gate in Narre Warren on Tuesday after receiving reports of a fight between two groups of teens around 9.30pm
Photos posted on social media show police at the scene. One girl was rushed to the hospital with a stab wound, another stab victim took herself to the hospital, while another woman was treated at the scene
Victoria MPs have taken to social media to weigh in on the ongoing issue and calling action
Victoria Police are now asking anyone who may have any information relating to incident to come forward.
It comes just days after the mall hired more security to patrol the shopping centre following a crime wave involving a string of robberies and assaults.
Business owners have expressed concern over groups of up to a dozen teenagers who have been storming their stores, damaging and stealing items.
Several retailers told the Cranbourne Leader their stores had been 'ransacked' by gangs in recent weeks and a poll of 3000 locals found 74 per cent admitted they steered clear of the centre due to fears of violence.
Victoria MPs have taken to social media to weigh in on the ongoing issue and calling for the government to take action.
La Trobe MP Jason Wood said the mall is experiencing a 'youth gang problem'.
'Gang violence is absolutely out of control, once again youth gangs have targeted Fountain Gate. I have laws to deport foreign-born thugs, and now the AFP will be targeting violent gangs in the South East. Bill Shorten and Labor are still opposing this, and say I'm over reacting (sic) as there is NO youth gang problem,' he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Gembrook MP Brad Battin also took to social media saying, 'this is not the Fountain Gate we have known for decades.'
'Shop owners say they are helpless, parents fear for their children as robberies increase, and now overnight, reports of a riot and possible stabbing', he said.
The wave of crime at Fountain Gate Westfield, in Melbourne's south-east, has prompted centre management to hire more security guards in an effort to regain control. Pictured above
In 2017 a woman was attacked with an axe in the salon she worked in and was rushed to hospital (pictured)
'How can we stop this rot, how can we make it safer?'
An army of security guards, dressed in cream coloured khakis and blue polo shirts, have been patrolling the mall that has been dubbed the 'most unsafe' in Victoria.
Earlier this month one cafe worker told how one group of teens came to her shop and 'literally went through and flipped up all the tables and chairs'.
A woman said her 14-year-old son was attacked and mugged by a gang of six teenagers in the food court last month.
'One of his friends was asked by the gang to hand over his jacket or he'd be stabbed. The boys were then told they would be bashed if they didn't hand over all of their cash,' she said.
In February 2016 a 14-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in a brazen daylight attack near the shopping centre.
The mother was disappointed with how security and management had handled the incident, saying that security didn't call to let her know what happened, and that police weren't even notified about the incident by security.
On a Casey Crime Facebook page, a woman claimed that she was attacked by six teenage girls on April 20, while security watched.
In March two teenage girls (pictured) attacked a chicken shop worker and stole the days earnings of $5,000 in the middle of the shopping centre
Another woman claimed a lady smacked her six-year-old granddaughter across her face, and centre management and security didn't do anything about it after she reported the incident to them.
A Fountain Gate worker said a bunch of teenagers are known to come into her store and try to distract staff in a bid to steal from the tip jar.
The troubling stories come after two teenage girls brutally bashed a chicken shop worker in a failed attempt to rob her of the day's takings in front of stunned onlookers at the shopping centre last month.
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The shop worker had been holding $5,000 when she was attacked by the teenagers, who punched her in the back of her head and flung her to the floor, before continuing to kick her.
It's understood she later required 13 stitches in her leg after she tripped on a vase.
In 2017, a mother-of-two who worked in a salon at the shopping centre was attacked by a 45-year-old man with an axe.
The woman was rushed to hospital and survived, however, the bloody incident left co-workers and bystanders extremely shaken.
The alleged attacker was charged with attempted murder.
Despite the continuing problems, police say they regularly patrol the precinct, and that they have a strong partnership with management.
'Police from Narre Warren, Cranbourne and Endeavour Hills regularly patrol the shopping centre with more serious offences followed up by detectives from Casey crime investigation unit,' Acting Inspector Dean Grande said.
A spokeswoman for Scentre Group told news.com.au: 'The safety and security of our customers, retail partners and employees is always our priority.
'As a social hub and meeting point in the local community, Westfield Fountain Gate strives to ensure all our customers feel welcome, comfortable and safe when visiting,' the spokeswoman said.
'Every situation is different and our experienced teams make decisions on how to manage situations on a case-by-case basis — always with the safety of our customers in mind.'
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