About 500 teenagers descended on the quiet suburb of Kirrawee, south of Sydney.
About 500 teenagers descended on the quiet suburb of Kirrawee, south of Sydney.
An Australian teenager’s sweet 16th birthday party spiralled out of control after 500 gatecrashers showed up, with police arresting three people and deploying a helicopter.
Police officers and the riot squad were called to the girl’s house in Kirrawee, 40 minutes’ drive south of Sydney, about 7.15pm on Friday, accordingto news.com.au.
Teens reportedly hurled cans of alcohol at police officers.
Chaotic footage posted on Facebook by shocked residents showed throngs of teens walking through the quiet, leafy residential neighbourhood.
In one clip, several officers are seen subduing one partygoer, two holding the person down on a driveway with back-up warding away other teenagers who were trying to intervene.
Another video posted to Facebook, captioned “Parents: do you know where your high school-aged children are?”, showed a circling helicopter beaming a spotlight over the suburban streets.
One local Facebook user, Lisa Woods, posted that the incident brought “exciting times in the Shire”.
A helicopter was deployed to help disperse the crowds. Photo / Lisa Woods
“Apparently the gatecrashers busted in and threw dad in the pool,” she wrote.
“They refused to leave the area, heaps more cops rocked up, and the crowds started leaving (possibly towards Cronulla), kicking some fences in along the way.”
Three 16-year-olds were arrested during the rampage, though they were not charged and were later released while further inquiries were made.
One of them reportedly hurled a full can of alcohol at a police officer, who pepper-sprayed him and arrested him.
Three 16-year-old boys were arrested during mass gatecrashing event in Kirrawee. Photo / Nine News
Footage sourced by 9News reportedly shows officers crash-tackling the teen to the ground.
“During the arrest, police will further allege that the boy resisted officers,” the New South Wales police said in a statement in response to the incident.
“He was taken to Sutherland Police Station and was later released into the custody of a responsible adult.
“It is anticipated that the matter will be dealt with under the Young Offenders Act.”
Police confirmed they were launching an investigation into the riot and appealed to locals to share their witness accounts and footage, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
They said there were no reports of any injuries following the riot.
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