Acting Senior Sergeant Peter Robertson from Craigieburn said they had also received information that a further fight was planned.

Facebook was buzzing with talk that the violence between the high school gangs would continue on Friday afternoon at the Craigieburn railway station.

‘‘We have had some information that there would be some retaliatory action in Craigieburn [on Friday]. We [deployed] sufficient resources to address any issues that may or may not occur,’’ acting Senior Sergeant Robertson said.

On Thursday, a police helicopter, 15 police officers and an ambulance were called to a shopping centre carpark on Hothlyn Drive about 3.15pm when two groups of students, aged 13-16, gathered for a pre-arranged fight.

Sunbury police Sergeant Jamie Walker said a 24-year-old woman, believed to be a sister of a student, two boys aged 17 and 13 and a 38-year-old man, believed to be a parent, all from Craigieburn, were expected to be charged on summons with assault and affray.

They were interviewed on Thursday night and later released.

Sergeant Walker said the crowd turned on police when they tried to intervene, and officers were forced to use capsicum spray to suppress the violence.

‘‘Police had to arrest a couple of suspects, then fights broke out, that’s when a lot of them were sprayed with capsicum spray.’’

Two police officers were also assaulted in the brawl.

A witness, Brooke, said the brawl involved students from Craigieburn Secondary College, and students of Pacific Islander background were pitted against ‘‘Aussies’’.

‘‘It was only a matter of time before something like this happened,’’ she told radio station 3AW.

‘‘It is definitely racial tension.’’

Acting Senior Sergeant Robertson said police had no knowledge of the fight before it broke out and believed it was either racially or sexually driven.

‘‘We believe it was [a] dispute between two students from the school that escalated... It’s disturbing that some members of our community might see this behaviour as acceptable.