Teen arrested in beach clash with police after storming Mordialloc supermarket

One teenager is in custody after a large group of youths clashed with police at a popular beach in Melbourne’s bayside and caused chaos in a nearby supermarket.

Video shared on social media showed dozens of teenagers flooding into Mordialloc Woolworths about 3pm before they tore items off the shelves and flung them down the aisles.

Staff and shoppers were massively outnumbered, and the store eventually went into lockdown shortly after 4pm.

The group, which police said was more than 100 people, then moved to Mordialloc beach, and riot police were called in to disperse the crowd.

Video shows officers at the beach were surrounded by a large group of teenagers, who were throwing items at police, while filming and gesturing at the officers. In one video, a police officer deployed OC spray and slammed a teenager to the ground.

Police said there were no injuries reported and no weapons detected.

“A large amount of police responded rapidly and located the large group of teens who had left the supermarket and become involved in a brawl at Mordialloc Pier,” police said in a statement.

“Officers began dispersing the hostile crowd, who began throwing bottles at members. Public Order Response Team members were deployed to the scene and the majority of the crowd left the area.”

They confirmed a teenage boy was the only arrest at the scene, in relation to affray and assaulting police. He is in custody and due to be interviewed about the riot.

“Moorabbin Crime Investigation Unit detectives are investigating the incidents.”

No Woolworths staff or customers were injured during the incident at the supermarket.

A Woolworths spokesperson said: “We thank our store leaders for their diligent work prioritising the safety of our team members and customers.

“This is another example of why we’ve been advocating for additional measures to protect our frontline team members.”

Crime statistics released in September revealed Victorian retail workers were dealing with a crime every five minutes. 

Retailers have been advocating for a dedicated police taskforce and streamlined online reporting. Workplace protection orders, which bar repeat offenders from stores, have been rolled out in the ACT, with a 99.6 per cent success rate at Woolworths supermarkets.

Kingston City Council has been contacted for comment.

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