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A hunt is underway for a 15-year-old boy after another teenage boy was stabbed to death at a shopping centre food court in Melbourne's west.
It is understood the boy and a 16-year-old boy became involved in a verbal altercation in an outdoor area at Woodgrove Shopping Centre in Melton West just before midday.
The altercation became physical before the younger boy allegedly produced a knife and stabbed the older boy multiple times before he left the scene towards High Street.
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A bystander commenced CPR on the 16-year-old boy but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police believe the two boys were known to each other.
Police said the 15-year-old boy has almost shoulder-length dark, curly hair and was wearing dark clothing and headphones and carrying a backpack at the time of the altercation.
Detective Senior Sergeant Nigel L'Estrange from Victoria Police said the deceased boy had been dropped off at the shopping centre by his mother earlier that morning.
"His mother is currently with us at the moment," L'Estrange said.
"As you can imagine, this is an absolutely tragic and senseless act that has occurred here in school holidays in an area where there's going to be lots of kids attending and a lot of people around."
The knife used in the stabbing is yet to be recovered.
L'Estrange said the shopping centre would have an increased police presence and additional patrols would be dispatched in the area to assure community safety in the aftermath of the stabbing.
Locals who spoke to 9News said crime in the area was becoming "a regular occurrence".
"I come down here everyday pretty much … and I just think it's disgusting that we have to deal with this on a pretty much weekly basis," resident Michelle said.
Dimi has called Melton home for 10 years and said the stabbing came as "a shock".
"If you can't come to a shopping centre during school holidays with your kids and feel safe, it's a pretty poor state of affairs," he said.
"It has become a common occurrence, whether it's here at the shopping centre, at the train station … [over] the past decade it's escalated more and more."
The shopping complex found itself at the centre of a wild brawl in April, where teenagers allegedly brandished machetes and an axe during a fight in front of a children's play area.
More to come.
