A teenager is understood to have been stabbed at a busy Melbourne shopping centre, with a police helicopter canvassing the area amid fears a knifeman is now on the run.
A major police operation is underway at Woodgrove Shopping Centre, in Melton West, after a boy was reported stabbed multiple times outside the food court.
The condition of the boy is unknown.
Victoria Police are expected to hold a briefing about the incident later on Tuesday.
The incident comes just days after a local issued a warning to shoppers about possible ‘gang’ issues at the shopping centre.
‘I’ve heard possible issues with gang problems this weekend at Woodgrove,’ the woman wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
‘Hopefullly not true… Be aware of your surroundings.’
Police have swarmed to Woodgrove Shopping Centre in Melbourne amid reports of a stabbing
A woman who works in a shop within the centre told Daily Mail Australia she heard a group of young people ‘yelling and screaming’ as the attack unfolded just after 12pm on Tuesday.
She said she was shocked that authorities did not close the plaza in the wake of the incident.
‘All they did was close one entrance. That was it.’
Witness Steve told 3AW the centre was bustling with shoppers at the time of the attack.
‘There has to be 25 police cars and choppers in the sky,’ he said.
‘The food court where it happened is open and there’s people oblivious to it.’
The incident comes after the shopping centre was locked down earlier this year after a fight broke out between two groups of youths armed with machetes and a butcher’s knife.
More to come.
Pictured: Woodgrove Shopping Centre in Melton West
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