00:01Well, I've only just heard from one of the witnesses who says that she actually saw this
00:07group of men running and she also says that security guards were screaming at people,
00:13shut your doors, shut your doors, as this shopping centre here in Craigieburn was locked
00:18down, which is about 25 kilometres north of Melbourne's CBD here.
00:23This all happened just after 7 o'clock last night.
00:26The lady I was just speaking to then, who didn't want to go on camera, said that there
00:30were many women and children in the area, they're all just going about their business and to
00:35have this happened was really quite horrifying.
00:38We also heard as well from Martin, who told the ABC he was eating some takeaway with his
00:44six-year-old son when he saw this group of men wearing masks approach another group of
00:51men.
00:52They then started running towards each other.
00:54That's when he heard a shot fired, and we've heard from police that there have been a couple
00:59of shots that have been apparently fired, or that's what witnesses have told them.
01:03Martin says that he only heard one, but at that time, that's when these both group of
01:09men actually brandished huge machetes.
01:12He said he's never seen machetes as big as they were, and they looked more like swords
01:18before both groups then ran off in the opposite direction.
01:22So truly a terrifying situation for people to have to deal with.
01:26I've been speaking to some shoppers, including Patricia Thomas, who regularly comes down here.
01:33This is what she had to say.
01:34It's pretty heart-wrenching because, at the end of the day, I'm a local here in the area, and I've
01:42lived here for 16 years, and it's just getting worse and worse.
01:48Yeah, in the area, you know, look at it.
01:51It's quiet now, and people are coming out to, families are coming out here to enjoy the cafes, the restaurants,
02:00and this is what we've now got to worry about.
02:04So that's Patricia Thomas just speaking to me a little bit earlier, and it is really the general feeling here.
02:10We've seen one police patrol going past this morning, but clearly a lot of people here wanting to see that
02:18security beefed up, the security beefed up, as well as having additional protective services officers.
02:26And the state government's actually announced more money for funding for an additional 150 PSOs, specifically to be able to
02:35come along and patrol shopping centres, just like this one here at Craigieburn, as part of Operation Pulse, aiming to
02:43reduce crime in the area.
02:44But we heard from Martin, who I was referring to beforehand, just saying how many women and children were here
02:51last night, and the fact that he looked across and could see one mother with four young children.
02:57She was on the ground, and she didn't get up after everything had finished, and she was so scared, he
03:03actually had to escort her back to her car.
03:06Now, this centre was briefly placed in lockdown as a security precaution after this.
03:11However, police say that there isn't any evidence at this stage of shots being fired.
03:17They haven't been able to find any bullet casings or any holes in the wall, for example, and certainly nobody
03:23was injured in this machete branding.
03:26So at least that is some good news for locals here that are clearly quite on edge about this.
03:33Police are continuing to investigate, and no doubt that they will be really checking on the CCTV vision here,
03:40and they want anybody with any information to get in contact with them.
03:44Without a doubt.
03:44They're notary public office.
03:45No doubt it.
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