Machete attack captured on video at Melbourne shopping centre as ban on blades takes effect

A shocking machete attack was captured on video in broad daylight at Broadmeadows Central shopping centre’s car park in Melbourne’s north on Tuesday, just three weeks after Victoria enacted a statewide ban on the sale and possession of machetes. The footage shows two groups of males slashing at each other, then dragging one another to the ground as other participants swarm the scene and shoppers retreat to the safety of their cars. The violence unfolded shortly after 5 p.m. in front of bystanders who watched in disbelief as the confrontation spilled across the car park. The incident occurred just across the road from a machete amnesty bin, one of 45 scattered across Melbourne as part of the crackdown intended to rid the state of dangerous weapons. A boy was injured and rushed to hospital, while others involved fled before police arrived. Police have launched an investigation and no arrests had been publicly announced as of late Tuesday.

The car park’s proximity to the amnesty bin underscores the ban’s stated aim: to remove from public spaces blades that could fuel violence as authorities said the new rules take force to curb the state’s crime crisis. The amnesty program, combined with the ban’s restrictions on both sale and possession of machetes, has been accompanied by a public information push from government leaders and policing agencies as they seek to demonstrate early impact.

The latest incident comes after a spate of violence in Melbourne’s western suburbs earlier in September. On September 6, two boys, Dau Akueng, 15, and Chol, 12, were found critically injured after an attack by a machete-wielding group while walking home at night. Both boys died at the scene. In the days that followed, seven youths, aged 15 to 19, were charged in connection with the stabbings and the broader case framework surrounding the incident.

Official data released since the ban’s rollout show growing public sports and government compliance with the new rules. Victoria Police noted that the public has surrendered more than 1,300 machetes since September 1, and retailers have handed in an additional 3,400 weapons. Premier Jacinta Allan has framed the trend as evidence that the ban is taking dangerous weapons off the streets, while the state opposition has challenged the program’s effectiveness and suggested that bins alone cannot solve the issue.

Separately, a Townsville hunting store in North Queensland received an official warning from Victorian authorities for selling machetes online, a move that sparked local criticism from shop owners. Anthony Pagan, owner of the store, told Seven News that the online listing appeared to single out Queensland businesses and argued that there had been no corresponding public messaging in Victoria about the ban. He described the situation as bureaucratic overreach that does not reflect the real market impact.

As investigations continue, police urged anyone with information about Tuesday’s Broadmeadows Central incident to come forward. The broader context of the week’s violence and the ongoing machete crackdown remain central to Melbourne’s public safety conversations, with officials emphasizing that comprehensive enforcement, not isolated measures, will determine the ban’s effectiveness in reducing blade-related crime in the state.