Nine people were stabbed and a man was left in critical condition after a fight broke out at a party in Melbourne’s CBD overnight.
Police said about 50 people were at a party in an apartment building on Spencer Street when things turned violent early this morning.
The fight is believed to have started in the apartment, a short-term rental, and then moved into the building’s foyer.
About 2:20 am, a 19-year-old man with multiple stab wounds in his upper body flagged down police at Southern Cross station.
He was taken to hospital and remained in critical condition, police said.
In the hours after the party, eight other young people presented at hospitals with stab wounds, but their injuries were not life-threatening, police said.
Three 19-year-old men presented to a hospital in inner-Melbourne suburb Fitzroy about 2:45am, and three 17-year-olds presented at a hospital in Werribee, 32 kilometres south-west of the CBD, about 4:00am.
A 19-year-old and 20-year-old man also went to Melbourne hospital about 3:50am.
Police said all nine males were stabbed at the Spencer Street apartment building.
Detectives from the Gang Crime Squad are now investigating.
Commander Darren Franks said the motive behind the stabbings was unclear but it looked like there were multiple offenders.
“At this point, while we’ve spoken to at least three victims of the stabbing, they’re not that cooperative with us, so we’re struggling to find out the why and the how to how this started,” he said.
Police were combing CCTV footage and urging any witnesses or people with dashcam footage to come forward.
Police are also investigating another fight that broke out on Collins Street in Melbourne’s CBD at about 3:45am.
Two eyewitnesses, Peter and James, said they were at a club in the CBD and saw two groups yelling at each other.
“After the yelling, they moved down the road because security was there, so they got away from them,” Peter said.
“Then someone threw a punch … and a bunch of other guys came in and then they all started hitting each other, and full-on, it went all the way down the road around the corner.”
Police then arrived and broke up the fight, and a few people were arrested, the eyewitnesses said.
“It was real brutal, it was lucky the police arrived when they did,” James said.
Police said two men aged 20 and 21 were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
