Teenagers arrested after allegedly setting Soho bar alight in Southbank
Two teenagers allegedly armed with machetes have been arrested following an arson attack on a bar in Melbourne’s CBD.
Soho Restaurant and Bar on Southbank Boulevard was engulfed in flames at around 4.20am on Friday.
Police allege that the two youths were armed with machetes and canisters when they entered the bar, which was closed at the time.
Police allege the pair then set fire to the building before fleeing in a silver Nissan Patrol.
Officers noticed the silver car passing through the area and followed them to Richmond and Balwyn.
The pair were pursued by police until they entered a cul-de-sac in Dundee St, Balwyn, shortly before 5am, where the critical incident response team arrested the two teenagers.
Police have arrested two teenagers who were allegedly armed with machetes after setting fire to a bar on Southbank in Melbourne’s CBD.
The children, aged 16 and 17, were arrested and detained, where they were interrogated by the police.
No charges were filed.
The scene remains at the scene as police cordon off the area on Southbank.
While the fire caused serious damage to the bar, some parts of the outdoor awning burned down.
The arson attack on the Southbank bar follows a series of arson attacks on nightclubs in Melbourne.
The Emerson nightclub in South Yarra and The Kittens Strip Club in South Melbourne were set ablaze in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The day before, three small fires had been lit at the Albion Rooftop in what police believe was an arson attack.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
