Andy’s Cafe Gutted in Suspicious Fire Days After Drive-By Shooting

A cafe in Melbourne’s north burned down early on July 13, just three days after shots were fired into the same business. Emergency services arrived at Andy’s Cafe on Mount Alexander Road around 1am to find the single-storey building engulfed in flames. Police say no one was inside. Investigators are examining whether the fire and the earlier shooting are connected.

The shooting came first

On Friday, July 10, multiple shots were fired into Andy’s Cafe during a late-night drive-by attack. Police witnessed the shooting and tracked a white Toyota Kluger to Taylors Lakes using a helicopter. Two men from Keilor Downs, aged 18 and 20, were arrested without incident. They were charged with discharging a firearm in a public place, criminal damage, and theft of a motor vehicle.

The fire destroyed the building and neighbouring business

Fire crews arrived within five minutes on July 13 at 1am to find the cafe fully engulfed. Firefighters brought the blaze under control by 1.22am, but the damage was severe. The fire spread to the roof space and caused significant damage to both the cafe and the Australia Post store next door. The cafe’s interior was completely burnt through and covered in blackened debris.

Police treating the blaze as arson

A crime scene has been established and an arson chemist attended the scene on July 13. Investigators were told a dark-coloured SUV was spotted fleeing the scene. Police are investigating whether the fire is linked to the shooting three days earlier. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

What happens next

The investigation is ongoing. Detectives will examine CCTV footage, witness statements, and forensic evidence to determine if both incidents were carried out by the same people. The cafe owner, Raymond Yacoub, has not made a public statement. Victoria Police have not released details on whether additional charges are expected.

Final Thoughts

Andy’s Cafe has been hit twice in three days, raising questions about whether the incidents are part of a targeted campaign. Police are investigating both the shooting and the fire as potentially linked crimes. The cafe appears to have become a focal point for serious criminal activity in the Essendon North area.

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