A brave group of shopkeepers have defended their stores from a brazen daylight robbery attempt by a group of youths in a brawl which started over cigarettes.

The dramatic footage shows the shop owners gathering outside their shop-fronts on Monday afternoon and defending themselves with chairs against a handful of young men of African appearance.

The youths, who had come to blows with a group of middle-aged Vietnamese men in the area just days before, returned to the Song Huong restaurant in St Albans in Melbourne's south west to 'start trouble', a witness told Daily Mail Australia.

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This is the moment a brave group of shopkeepers took matters into their own hands when confronted by a group of youths who appeared to be attempting to rob their stores

The Vietnamese men can be seen arming themselves with chairs they grab from the outside seating area and hurling the chairs towards the would-be burglars

The alleged assault began when the youths asked the Vietnamese men for cigarettes but were denied, according to a message thread obtained by Daily Mail Australia.

'They wanted smokes and the locals refused and they started attacking ... my mate's dad is in hospital with fractures, mild amnesia and internal bleeding,' one message reads.

'They went into the shop ... and stole people's handbags and phones that are table,' another messages reads.

'And now today they're sitting outside [the] door ... Not letting customers in.'

The alleged assault began when the youths asked the Vietnamese men for cigarettes but were denied, according to a message thread obtained by Daily Mail Australia (pictured)

The alleged assault began when the youths asked the Vietnamese men for cigarettes but were denied, according to a message thread obtained by Daily Mail Australia

The brawl occurred outside the Song Huong restaurant (pictured) in St Albans, about 25km south west of Melbourne's CBD on Alfrieda Street

An onlooker who filmed the incident capturing the Vietnamese men picking up plastic chairs from the outdoor seating area to haul them across the pavement in an attempt to get the youths to leave.

About 4.30 on Monday afternoon, police were called to reports of an affray.

'A fight erupted between a 46-year-old man and a group of younger males,' Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia.

'The 46-year-old Delahey man was taken to hospital with a laceration to the forehead.'

'A fight erupted between a 46-year-old man and a group of younger males,' Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia

In the footage, a group of men of Vietnamese men can be heard angrily shouting at another group of men of African appearance

The brawl occurred outside the Song Huong restaurant in St Albans, about 25km south west of Melbourne's CBD on Alfrieda Street, a popular strip of predominantly Asian food stores and restaurants.

In the footage, a group of men of Vietnamese men can be heard angrily shouting at another group of men of African appearance, who can be seen to the right of the camera.

The Vietnamese men can be seen arming themselves with chairs they grab from the outside seating area and hurling the chairs towards the would-be burglars.

A few men grab other impromptu items such as poles or table legs.

'Stop that!' one man yells in the background.

The man taking the footage can then be heard asking: 'What's going on?'

The chaos escalates as the sound of smashing glass can be heard as the alleged intruders retreat.

The parties are believed to be known to one another and the investigation remains ongoing, police have said.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The dramatic footage, captured in Melbourne on Tuesday, shows the shop owners gathering outside their shop-fronts to exchange blows with the alleged offenders

Chaos ensues as an onlooker films the incident, capturing the men throwing chairs and other items across the pavement