Three 14-year-olds have been arrested following a shocking alleged gang attack on a boy in a Geelong alleyway.
A passerby alerted police to a confrontation between teenagers near Little Malop Street and James Street about 5.30pm on Wednesday.
Shocking vision appears to show a group of five teenage boys repeatedly kicking, punching and slapping the boy while another boy keeps watch at the entrance to the laneway.
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At one stage, a glass bottle is broken over the victim's head.
A good Samaritan rushes to the victim's aid, at which point the fight breaks up.
Two boys, as well as the victim, were spoken to at the scene, but nobody was willing to provide a statement, police said.
Three 14-year-old males were arrested this afternoon in relation to the incident, police said.
They will be interviewed by investigators.
Officers are still working to identify the remaining youths involved, police said.
"We know who they are, we will get them and we will put them before a magistrate or through the appropriate justice process," Inspector Clare Murphy said before the arrests were made.
"As police we see a lot of violence in our community, but what is really disheartening with this is the age of the offenders involved and the viciousness and the language and the brutality of it is really disturbing.
"It's an incredibly cowardly act. It's disgusting."
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Wednesday's incident is the latest in what locals say is a regular occurrence of crime that is driving customers away from the area.
"God knows what's going to happen next, you know, that's what I always wonder," cafe owner Asger Hussain Aga said.
Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj said the council was committed to doing what it could to crack down on anti-social behaviour on the city's streets.
"We've gotta take back control of the streets and the only way to do that is if there is consequences for behaviour," Kontelj said.
"At the moment it's too soft, it's too one-handed."
Victoria police said it was "strongly focused" on safety in Geelong's CBD, with a particular focus on Little Malop Street.
"We're well aware of the challenges within the mall area," Murphy said.
"It's a vibrant area for the Geelong community and council and stakeholders and retailers and business owners are working really hard to make that a really attractive environment for people to come in.
"It is really frustrating that we have a small cohort of individuals that really spoil it for everybody else."
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