ALICE SPRINGS — Northern Territory police said one person is facing charges and more are expected after unrest in Alice Springs that followed the arrest of a 47-year-old man in connection with the death of a five-year-old girl. About 400 people gathered outside the Alice Springs hospital on Thursday night, where a police car was set alight, four additional police cars and four of the region's five ambulances were damaged, and nearby businesses were trashed.

Police search teams found the body of Kumanjayi Little Baby on Thursday, 5 km from the Old Timers town camp where she was last seen alive. Authorities had been searching for Jefferson Lewis since Sunday, and arrested him late Thursday in connection with the child's disappearance.

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole said Lewis presented himself to a town camp on Thursday night, where members decided to inflict vigilante justice on him. Police received numerous phone calls reporting that Lewis was being assaulted and responded quickly to stop the attack, he said. Lewis had been subjected to a sustained attack and was unconscious when police and ambulance officers arrived.

Police and ambulance officers were assaulted by the crowd at the town camp, with one police officer requiring stitches, he said. Officers conveyed Lewis to the Alice Springs hospital, after which a large crowd gathered and tried to gain access to the facility and to Lewis. Police called out all available resources to quell the violence outside the hospital, and officers from the territory response group used less-than-lethal munitions and chemical munitions against the crowd. Bins and bushes were set on fire, and one woman was arrested for allegedly trying to set a police car alight.

Lewis was transferred to Darwin in the early hours of Friday morning due to safety concerns for himself and emergency service workers, and was discharged from hospital into police custody, Dole said. He said a prosecution was planned and the court case would proceed.

"I just call for calm across the community today," Dole said. He said anyone seeking justice through traditional Warlpiri lore would have to respect the one law operating in the Northern Territory. "There's one law, and that one law applies to everybody," he said.

Robin Granites, a senior Warlpiri elder and spokesperson for the family of Kumanjayi Little Baby, called for a period of mourning. "It is time now for sorry business, to show respect for our family and have space for grieving and remembering," Granites said. "Everyone is feeling very upset and emotions are very high," he said. "This man has been caught, thanks to community action, and we must now let justice take its course while we take the time to mourn Kumanjayi Little Baby and support our family," he said.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said she understood the grief and anger but that the unrest was neither acceptable nor reflective of the community. "This week we've seen this town come together like never before, hundreds of people walking shoulder to shoulder through the long buffel grass, through the bush, to make sure we left no stone unturned," she said. Finocchiaro said bottle shops in Alice Springs would be closed on Friday, and takeaway alcohol sales on Saturday would be limited to between 11am and 2pm. Alcohol sales on Sunday were already restricted, and Monday and Tuesday were declared dry days in Alice Springs.