Updated: Police have today confirmed a third arrest in relation to the Manly Wharf Brawl earlier this month.
Investigations led detectives to the Central Coast where they arrested and charged a 20 year old Wyong man with affray, riot and assault at Gosford police station yesterday (15 January 2025).
He has been refused bail pending an appearance at Gosford Court today, 16 January.
The arrest follows the announcement of Strikeforce Crookhaven, established to get to the bottom of what happened and who was responsible for various crimes on 6 January in the Manly Wharf precinct.
Previously: Two teenagers – one 15 year old and one 18 year old – have now been arrested and charged over the Manly Wharf brawl that made headlines last week. Both have been granted conditional bail.
Police confirmed this morning, Monday 13 January 2025, that an 18 year old had been arrested at Bonnyrigg on Friday, 10 January 2025, and has now been charged with riot and affray.
Police have since confirmed that a 15 year old was arrested at Manly Police Station this afternoon.
Hold up, what happened ?
Officers attached to Northern Beaches Police Area Command were called to Manly Wharf shortly after 9pm on Monday 6 January 2025, responding to reports of a large brawl.
Numerous police crews arrived at the scene within minutes to find about 30 people fighting; however, the group dispersed as police arrived.
Manly Observer was following the incident, and reported the following witness accounts the next day:
Greater detail, including claims from some local teens that the attack was a retaliation for an earlier threat to their safety, are referenced in our original piece.
Strike Force Crookhaven was established, and CCTV released last week as part of the ongoing investigation. Interestingly, one of the two public witnesses police were seeking has since been identified as the acting CEO of Nine, one of Australia’s major media players.
Police this morning issued a statement confirming an 18-year-old man was arrested at Bonnyrigg about 7.30pm last Friday (10 January 2025).
He was taken to Fairfield Police Station where he was charged with one count each of riot and affray.
He was been granted conditional bail to appear in Manly Local Court on 29 January 2025.
The 16 year old was charged with two counts of common assault, riot and affray and was granted conditional bail to appear before a Children’s Court on 5 February.
Is Manly Wharf Safe?
The new owners of Manly Wharf, issued the following statement regarding safety in the wharf precinct:
“We are aware of an incident that occurred near our precinct this week and while the incident did not occur at Manly Wharf, we are assisting police with their investigation. There is absolutely no place for violence or unsafe behaviour in our community and we’ll continue our strong working relationship with local police to ensure a safe space for all.
“We have introduced 24/7 precinct-wide security, installed state-of-the art CCTV”
Since acquiring this iconic space, we have introduced 24/7 precinct-wide security, installed state-of-the art CCTV, increased the cleaning services of the precinct and we hope to relocate the public bathrooms from the basement to the ground floor pending approval from Council.
At Artemus Group, we are committed to creating a safe, family-friendly and inclusive space for the community that is reflective of Manly and the Northern Beaches and that will continue to remain our focus.”
Manly Detectives continue to conduct inquiries as part of the Strike Force.
