A suburban shopping center was plunged into chaos overnight after a fight broke out between a group of men in which a gun was fired.
Witnesses told police the men used machetes and fired a gun during the fight about 8pm on Friday outside the Pacific Epping shopping center in Melbourne’s north.
When the police arrived at the scene the group had already left.
Investigators began an immediate search of the area and found evidence that a firearm had been discharged, however, it is believed that no one was injured by the firearm.
A 22-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy, both from Lalor, presented to hospital with injuries believed to have been caused by a knife.
The 22-year-old man is in serious condition and in police custody.
The 16-year-old has non-life-threatening injuries and is assisting police with their inquiries.
Police were called to Pacific Epping shopping center after a report a gun was fired.
Customers at the mall on Friday night ran for cover after the wild fight broke out.
Pacific Epping general manager Andrew Drivas said emergency services responded quickly to the altercation.
“Fortunately there were no victims and police arrested several of those involved,” he said.
“The facility’s incident management procedures were activated in a coordinated manner and established protocols to respond to such incidents were followed as planned.”
Drivas said the safety and well-being of the community was always their priority and something they took very seriously.
When police arrived, the group of men involved in the fight had fled, but officers found evidence that a gun had been fired.
Additional security staff have been deployed to the site to assist a security team already patrolling the area 24/7, along with an extensive CCTV network operating throughout the centre.
“We continue to work with the police to support an increased level of security throughout the local area,” Drivas said.
‘As this is an ongoing police investigation, it would be inappropriate to share further details. “We will continue to assist police in their investigation of the incident.”
Police have asked anyone with footage of the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.
