A fight between three women over toilet paper in a Sydney supermarket has been likened to "the Thunderdome" from Mad Max, with police warning that people will be charged over such behaviour.
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Police were called to the scene at a Woolworths store at Chullora on Saturday morning after reports a 49-year-old woman had been assaulted.
A video of the incident went viral on social media and showed a group of women pushing, yelling and fighting over a jumbo packet of toilet paper amid panic buying caused by the coronavirus.
The video shows one woman pulling the hair of another during the heated altercation.
One woman yells: "I just want one packet."
Another woman, who is in possession of a trolley packed with toilet paper, replies "No, not one packet", before two supermarket workers intervene to break up the argument.
NSW Police acting inspector Andrew New says such violence "won't be tolerated", and people could end up before the courts.
"It's just bad behaviour by people that are panicking and there is just no need for any of that panic because there is sufficient supplies," Insp New said on Saturday.
"It's not the Thunderdome, it's not Mad Max, we don't need to do that."
The woman was not injured and no arrests were made, however police are hoping to identity the other two women involved in the altercation.
"At this stage, police are going to continue to investigate the matter," Insp New told reporters.
The supermarket chain earlier in the week imposed a four-packet per customer limit on the sale of toilet paper after having its shelves stripped by shoppers amid hysteria over the coronavirus.
"We will not tolerate violence of any kind from our customers in our stores and we are working with police who are investigating the matter," a Woolworths spokesperson said.
Coles also introduced a temporary four-packet limit on Thursday.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged the public to remain calm, saying there were no issues with toilet paper supply in NSW and no need for bulk-buying.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said he was "disturbed" to see footage from the altercation.
"This is a time for calm. This is a time for Australians to pull together, to work together, to respect their fellow citizens," he told reporters in Melbourne.
Australian Associated Press