Footage captures teen allegedly charging man with machete at Perth shops

A teenager allegedly armed with a machete outside a Perth shopping centre has sparked fresh concern from locals, who are demanding the state government act over ongoing rampant anti-social behaviour in nearby public housing.

Rivervale residents are attempting to organise a roundtable meeting with WA Police, their local member Cassie Rowe and housing and communities officials to discuss the ongoing dysfunction and anti-social behaviour they are experiencing due to unchecked and unsupported public housing in the suburb.

The most recent incident caught on camera shows two men – one just 17 years old – confront each other in front of the Kooyong Road shops about midday on September 14.

The pair get into a verbal altercation before the teenager retreats, causing the man to turn his back on him and appear to walk away. The teenager appears to turn around and quickly charge at him, allegedly brandishing what appears to be a machete.

The teenager can be seen repeatedly raising the weapon at the man, who backs up further into the road before he is out of frame.

Local businesses told this masthead they saw the incident and phoned police, who attended and confirmed the teenager had been allegedly in possession of an “edged weapon” while at the Kooyong Road precinct.

The 17-year-old, from Belmont, has since been charged with stealing in relation to a separate incident, and being armed in a way that may cause fear.

He is due before Perth Children’s Court next week.

It is the latest in a string of incidents caught on camera along the Kooyong Road shopping strip, where businesses have been forced to spend thousands on extra security cameras, roller shutters and remove alfresco seating as a way to deter bad behaviour.

More footage from residents and businesses shows ongoing issues experienced by locals including young children riding dirt-bikes along public footpaths, prowlers creeping through front yards and attempting to pull windows from their frames, and children fighting in the street.

In footage taken from the same Kooyong Road strip, two customers sitting on an alfresco chair and table are repeatedly sworn at by a passerby. Another yelled a homophobic slur at a shop worker and threatened him, while a woman in a wheelchair can be seen drinking from a 1.25 litre bottle of Coke as she tells a business owner she “hopes they get raped”.

Other businesses said some people had been known to sit at the local laundromat and pleasure themselves in full view of passersby, and the IGA and bottle shop have had to put measures in place in a bid to stop ongoing retail theft.

Some residents, who did not wish to be named for fear of retaliation, said they had stopped reporting incidents to police as the ongoing issues had become too frequent.

At least one house in the suburb has been the subject of multiple reports to the Department of Communities about the presence of drugs and alcohol around children, but locals told this masthead they had not seen any meaningful intervention and the children remained at the property.

Crime statistics show while offences against the person in Rivervale are down from the last financial year, 2025 recorded the highest number of offences in the last decade.

Meanwhile, offences against property have dropped significantly from a 10-year high in 2023.

Businesses in the Rivervale area continue to campaign to meet with Labor MLA Cassie Rowe, and relevant authorities who can help with ongoing anti-social behaviour experienced by Rivervale residents.

In a letter sent to Rowe in August, locals said they needed greater support to deal with issues caused by public housing residents who may be experiencing mental health issues, or problems with drugs and alcohol.

They asked for more wraparound services for tenants in the area, and better communication between government departments.

Rowe previously did not respond to questions from this masthead about a potential sit-down interview to view footage taken from the businesses, but did provide a written response.

“I absolutely understand the concerns of my community. As a local, I have seen some of these behaviours first hand. To be clear – some of the incidents that locals have raised with me are completely unacceptable,” she said.

“There’s never an excuse for theft, harassment and violence, period.”

Rowe said she had made herself available to residents and business owners.

Local business owner Richie Harrop, who has spearheaded much of the conversation about better support for public housing tenants, said he had yet to hear back from Rowe about a potential roundtable.

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