Overview

• Police arrested four 15-year-olds over the May 26 Truganina McDonald’s incident, charging one with aggravated burglary, motor vehicle theft, false imprisonment, assault with a weapon, possessing a controlled weapon and producing child abuse material.
• Videos show a teen in a yellow shirt forcing a boy to his knees while another holds a machete to his throat, with neither of the 15-year-old victims physically harmed.
• The Truganina arrests come one day after rival gangs wielding machetes sparked a lockdown at Preston’s Northland Shopping Centre on May 25.
• Premier Jacinta Allan has fast-tracked a statewide ban on machete sales to take effect September 1 in response to the recent surge in youth knife incidents.
• Community leaders and a father of one accused teen warn Victoria’s juvenile justice system may lack effective consequences and are calling for enhanced rehabilitation programs.