Five arrested after pair assaulted in Carlton

Five men have been arrested after two men were allegedly assaulted and threatened with knives in Carlton on August 22.

Police attended the incident which happened at Lygon St at around 11pm. Neither victim was injured.

According to police, the five men involved in the alleged assault fled the scene in a car – which was later found at the intersection of Dryburgh St and Arden St in North Melbourne a short time later. 

The five men, a 26-year-old Tarneit man, a 24-year-old Footscray man, a Collingwood man aged 20, a Dandenong North man aged 20 and a 23-year-old Fitzroy man, were arrested. 

They have been speaking with police to assist their enquiries.

Victoria Police has launched a new operation targeting public order, road, and vehicle-related crime on weekends in Carlton on the back of safety concerns raised by the community.

It follows a string of incidents including a teenager being taken to hospital after allegedly being stabbed outside an ice-cream shop in May in Lygon St – which sparked calls from the community for “immediate action”.

Business owners, however, have noted a stronger police presence in the area through Victoria Police’s Operation Velocita, which began in July – though there are still calls from the community to have CCTV installed in the neighbourhood.

The City of Melbourne’s 2022-23 budget will see $5.4 million spent on city cleaning and safety including a continued focus on upgrading the safe city camera fibre network and running the digital radio system to enhance city surveillance. •