May 22, 2026 — 5:12pmA children’s courtroom was evacuated on Friday in dramatic scenes when a 16-year-old accused of torching a liquor warehouse refused to leave the dock after learning he would not be granted bail.The child, known to the court as HA, started sobbing in the dock and resisting restraints after learning he would return to youth detention for another week as the court awaited further assessments.Fire Rescue and police on the scene of a blaze at a liquor wholesale factory in Keysborough.Chris HopkinsSoon after learning his bail application had been adjourned, HA began yelling, demanding to know why his co-accused had been released.Four teenagers were charged with the arson of liquor warehouse for the brand 80 Proof. Two who pleaded guilty received youth supervision orders instead of jail terms yesterday. The third, known as JA, was released on bail today.HA refused to be escorted out by the officers by his sides, pushing them as he resisted their restraints. The courtroom, filled with lawyers, journalists, youth justice workers and the accused’s family, was evacuated as officers rushed in to restrain the 16-year-old.His lawyer told the court earlier in the hearing that HA, who was remanded on May 7, had found his time in youth detention deeply distressing.“I never want to be back here. I never want to be in a place where I walk by people are trying to spit on me,” HA allegedly told his lawyer.On April 23, police allege, four teenagers broke into the 80 Proof liquor distribution centre in Keysborough and burnt the warehouse to the ground. The damage bill is estimated at more than $1.5 million.Police say the attack was filmed by JA, which sources say is a requirement for getting paid by those who ordered the attacks.The company, which sells fruit-flavoured liqueur shots, is linked to nightclub promoters who are among those in Melbourne’s nightlife scene targeted for more than two months by a series of more than 40 arson attacks, shootings, kidnappings and home invasions.More than 50 low-level offenders have been arrested as part of the police operation combating the violence, known as Operation Eclipse. The vast majority of them have been teenagers and no kingpins have yet been caught, police sources say.Police summaries link an unknown offender known only as Iceman as the orchestrator of the Bar Bambi arson on April 16 and the 80 Proof firebombing.It is alleged Iceman organised the hits with the teenagers using a group chat on encrypted messaging app Signal titled “Jobs”.Acting on Iceman’s instructions to “smash everything” and set the building alight, the teenagers drove to the Keysborough warehouse in a stolen Range Rover fitted with cloned plates organised by the unknown instructor, the court heard.CCTV footage later captured three hooded figures smashing windows while carrying jerry cans of fuel, while a fourth, whose case is yet to be heard, filmed using a mobile phone.Two videos capturing the attack were sent to Iceman, police say.The teenager known as JA later sent voice recordings to an associate, the court heard, in which he said he had been paid $1000 for filming the arson.“I didn’t even do anything, [the co-accused] got [$3000]. I was the cameraman because you have to film for the boss,” he allegedly said.The magistrate described the harm caused by HA’s offending as catastrophic on Friday, explaining to the teen that the fire was “so dangerous” that fire rescue had to pull away from the blaze engulfing the building over fears it would collapse.The teenager known as HA is also accused of being involved in the arson of CBD nightclub Bar Bambi.With Chris VedelagoCarla Jaeger is a journalist for The Age. Got a tip? Email carla.jaeger@theage.com.au or message carlajaeger.62 on Signal.Connect via X or email.From our partners