Two teenagers were stabbed during a large brawl involving approximately 70 people at a party in Austral, southwest Sydney, early Sunday morning. The incident began when gatecrashers arrived at an Airbnb rental on Zephyr Street shortly after midnight, disrupting a party whose details had been shared on Snapchat.
Emergency services were called to the scene to find a chaotic situation. Police officers attempting to manage the crowd reported encountering resistance and pushback from attendees. "We encountered some pushback by those involved and they weren't assisting police in their inquiries," Detective Inspector Scott Houldin stated. Officers were forced to use pepper spray to control the unruly crowd, with some footage showing officers engaged in physical altercations with multiple individuals.
Officers were initially unable to locate the two victims of the stabbing. The first, a 19-year-old male, was found in a vehicle on Browns Road with stab wounds to his torso. The second, a 17-year-old male, was discovered in a vehicle on Fletcher Street with stab wounds to his thigh. Both victims were reportedly invited guests at the party. They were transported to a local hospital and subsequently assisted police with their investigation.
Investigators established multiple crime scenes and recovered three knives along with other potential exhibits, which will undergo forensic testing. No arrests have been made in connection with the stabbings. Inspector Houldin has appealed to the public for assistance, requesting any available dashcam, CCTV, or mobile phone footage that could help identify those involved in the brawl and the subsequent assaults.
The Airbnb property, a five-bedroom residence, is advertised as a "family getaway" and has a policy prohibiting parties. The host indicated that guests had requested the property's security cameras be turned off on the night of the incident. Residents described the scene as "war-like" and unlike anything they had witnessed before.
