Planned youth brawl in Melbourne CBD prevented by police

A planned violent brawl between rival gangs during a public event in Melbourne's CBD has been prevented by Victoria Police.

The two youth gangs were on their way into the city armed with knives and bats as Melburnians flocked to the city for White Night, an event where the city is transformed by lights, artists and performances, when they were apprehended, Victoria Police said on Monday.

Some 20 people were arrested by officers and several weapons were seized, including a can of pepper spray.

Stephen Leane, Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner, said officers had prevented violence from erupting between the two groups and ruining the night for hundreds of thousands of revellers in the city for White Night.

"We watched them all night. We talked to them all night. We engaged with them all night," Leane told Fairfax Media.

"Many of them were upset and telling police when they were leaving that it was boring. They were looking for something else."

A small group of the youths remained behind and at 2 a.m. local time started a fight but were quickly apprehended by the police.

A 17-year-old from Dandenong in Melbourne's south-east was arrested and charged with possessing a dangerous article.

Leane said the altercation had nothing to do with the Apex gang, a youth group that rose to notoriety after a riot during Melbourne's Moomba festival in 2016.

"I'm not sure Apex even still exists," he said.

He said the two groups were made up of youths aged 14 to 19 and part of a loosely organized rivalry comprised of many different ethnicities.

"They take a disliking to each other and, for some reason, the groups were deciding they'd have a go," he said.

A total of 21 people were arrested throughout the event, which drew 600,000 people into the CBD, for offences including drunkenness, drugs and assault. Endit