Teenage girls arrested after brawl at Melbourne shopping centre

Four teenage girls and an 18-year-old woman have been arrested after a brawl erupted at Melbourne's Northland Shopping Centre, according to Victoria Police. The incident occurred on Friday night in the food court of the popular retail precinct. Police confirmed that they observed a group of females fighting, leading to the arrest of four girls aged 12, 14, 16, and 17, as well as the 18-year-old woman.

Among the arrested, the 14-year-old and 12-year-old sustained minor injuries and were treated by medical professionals, with the latter being released pending further enquiries. The 18-year-old Coburg North woman and the 16-year-old and 17-year-old are expected to be charged on summons following interviews by police. During the brawl, police claim to have seized a knife allegedly used during the altercation.

The 18-year-old woman and the other three teenage girls are set to be interviewed by detectives from Banyule Crime Investigation Unit to probe the circumstances surrounding the incident. This particular brawl is not an isolated event; it is the latest in a series of violent incidents at Melbourne shopping centres in recent years.

In May 2025, a particularly high-profile incident saw a brawl involving machetes break out, prompting a large crowd to flee the Northland Shopping Centre. In June 2025, a separate incident involved a sports utility vehicle driving at high speeds through the same shopping centre. According to the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA), there were 5,901 reported crimes at 13 major Melbourne shopping centres in the 2024-25 financial year, marking a 20% increase from the previous year.

Northland Shopping Centre ranked second in terms of incident count, with Bayside Frankston leading the pack and Westfield Fountain Gate following in third place.