By Alesha Capone
TWO men have been charged over a violent armed attack which occurred just before a Braybrook brawl last week which left two police officers injured.
St Albans resident Deyon Machok, 20, and 21-year-old James Makur from Keilor Downs, faced an out-of-sessions hearing at Footscray Police Station last Thursday.
They were charged with 11 counts each, including intentionally causing serious injury, relating to the assault of two men.
The assault allegedly happened shortly before a brawl, near Pennell Reserve in Burke St.
Two police officers were injured during the incident, which took place outside an after-party for the Miss South Sudan Australia 2011 pageant, staged in Clayton over the previous weekend.
A senior sergeant sustained a facial injury and a senior constable was punched in the head, after a crowd turned on them and began throwing bottles.
Detective Senior Constable Ross Stewart from Maribyrnong CIU said shortly before this affray, Mr Machok and Mr Makur were at the party, where they saw their victims, aged 22 and 27.
The pair allegedly knew the victims and accused them of using looks and body language to seek a fight.
After the victims left the party at around 1.30am, police said Mr Machok, Mr Makur and approximately nine other men followed them outside armed with machetes, golf clubs, bottles, baseball bats and other weapons.
One of the victims was allegedly punched in the face and a bottle was smashed over his head.
When his friend stepped in to stop the attack, police said the other assailant swung a machete at his head.
The victim was struck on the arm and leg with the weapon, resulting in a broken elbow, fractures, deep lacerations, severed tendons and nerve damage.
The out-of-sessions hearing heard after the initial assault, the two attending police officers retreated and called for back-up once as the brawl erupted among other party-goers outside Pennell Reserve.
Det Sen Const Stewart said it took in excess of 50 police to disperse the brawl, during which capsicum sprayed was used and a divisional van damaged after being pelted with stubbies, rocks and being kicked.
Mr Machok and Mr Makur were refused bail and remanded in custody to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last Friday.
Kymlee Le, who runs a business opposite Fennel Reserve, said there were wild parties at a hall there every weekend.
“As a local I can tell you there’s a lot of parties every weekend, there’s no regulation and broken bottles and rubbish get left everywhere and there’s lots of noise,” she said.
Police have appealed for anyone with information the incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
