Police vow to crackdown on armed street gangs after riot at Melbourne’s Moomba Festival

Four arrests have been made and more are expected after more than a hundred suspected gang members stormed Melbourne CBD last night as part of a skirmish organised over social media.

More than 100 young men, believed to be from the Apex and Islander 23 gangs, converged on Federation Square about 8pm, where Moomba celebrations were taking place, attacking one another and throwing chairs.

Police armed with batons and capsicum spray attempted to disperse the crowd, but not before the violence spread to Swanston Street, where café patrons were forced to run for safety before a stampede of chair-wielding youth.

Two people were arrested for being drunk, another for assaulting an officer and a fourth for allegedly carrying a Taser.

A number of other people were treated for injuries and taken to hospital.

Chief Comissioner Graham Ashton said there were about 11 different incidents that broke the law, including assaults and robberies and one police officer being hit with an object.

He said he expected the number of arrests to increase significantly throughout the week as other offences are picked up as police examine CCTV footage.

Police have accused the Apex gang of engaging in riotous behaviour, with most gang members believed to have been teenagers, some even as young as 12 or 13. 

They also alleged that Apex was responsible for a significant increase in crime statistics after a spate of violent aggravated burglaries and automobile thefts in Melbourne’s south.  

Comm. Ashton said it was also not the first time the group had provoked police in the CBD, with Apex attending White Night last month and New Year’s Eve celebrations with the intention of causing trouble.

Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp said police were aware of impending trouble after seeing posts on social media in the hours before the fighting broke out.

He said police will increase resources for a special taskforce aimed at cracking down on the Apex gang.

More than 100 police will be on duty in the CBD tonight, should the gang return to the festival.