In an afternoon incident that unfolded at Mordialloc Beach in Melbourne’s southeast, over 20 officers dressed in riot gear, accompanied by a fleet of 20 police cars, swiftly responded to a gathering of more than 200 young individuals.

The police were initially dispatched to a nearby Woolworths after receiving reports of a skirmish shortly after 3 PM.

Video footage captured inside the supermarket shows a throng of young beach attendees darting through the aisles, leaving a trail of spilled beverages and scattered merchandise in their wake.

Eyewitnesses recounted the group causing chaos by smashing items, pulling products from the shelves, and committing theft.

To ensure safety, the Woolworths location entered lockdown mode shortly after 4 PM.

“Our Mordialloc store was locked down as a precautionary measure due to a large group entering and disrupting the premises,” Woolworths stated in a release.

“We thank our store leaders for their diligent work prioritising the safety of our team members and customers.

“This is another example of why we’ve been advocating for additional measures to protect our frontline team members.”

Police said the crowd then moved to Mordialloc Pier.

“Police are working to disperse the hostile crowd, who were throwing items at members,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

“Public Order Response Team members have been deployed to assist.”

Footage from the beach shows a group stomping on a young man’s head.

No emergency treatment was required, according to Ambulance Victoria.

No injuries were reported and no weapons were sighted, according to police.