About 500 teenagers gatecrashed a 16-year-old girl’s birthday party in Sydney’s south, prompting a police response that ended with three arrests and a helicopter deployed to help disperse the crowd.
Emergency services were called about 7.15pm on Friday to a home on Bounty Avenue in Kirrawee, where local police initially tried to disperse the gathering.
Reinforcements were quickly called, with public order and riot squad officers, the operational support group and PolAir – the police helicopter – working for more than an hour to manage the out-of-control party.
Police arrested three 16-year-old boys before releasing them without charge pending further inquiries.
One of the boys allegedly threw a full can of alcohol at an officer, who deployed OC spray before arresting him.
“During the arrest police will further allege that the boy resisted officers,” NSW Police said in a statement.
“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. No injuries were reported by either the boy or the officer.”
CCTV footage obtained by Nine News shows crowds of teenagers surrounding the suburban home before the situation escalated.
Police are seen in the footage pushing members of the crowd as onlookers yell, while one officer lunges at a reveller.
One witness told Nine that she saw multiple people arrested.
“It was very chaotic,” she said. Another witness, Aedan Byrne, said he saw partygoers jumping over neighbours’ fences to leave the event.
When asked whether the amount of force deployed was necessary, police said: “Police are trained to deploy a number of tactical options to effect an arrest. The decision as to what options are utilised [is] made on a case-by-case basis by the individual officers.”
Police have launched an investigation and are urging anyone who was in the area and has information – including phone, dashcam and CCTV footage – to contact Sutherland police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.