A pregnant woman has been assaulted by a group of men who were carrying an axe, a baseball bat and a hammer as she walked down a street in Melbourne’s south east, police have said.

The 24-year-old was walking along Walsh Street, Noble Park, at about 11.30pm on Tuesday when a car drove past, and one of the men inside whistled at her.

She quickly turned down a nearby street, but the car did a U-turn and drove up behind her, police said.

She was then confronted by four men wearing masks and armed with a baseball bat, hammer and what appeared to be an axe.

Two other men remained in the car.

The group demanded her handbag, and before she could give it to them one man swung the hammer at her.

It hit her arm as she put her arms up to protect her head, before the men grabbed her bag and got back into the car.

The woman asked for her mobile phone back, telling the group it had ultrasound photos of her baby and one of the men threw it on the ground.

The car, believed to be a silver or blue Ford Falcon XR 6 sedan, then drove off.

Car linked to earlier carjacking

Police said they believe the group may be linked to an attempted carjacking in Huntingdale earlier that evening.

She told police the car appeared to be lowered and sounded like it had a turbo engine.

A 25-year-old man told police a blue Ford Falcon overtook him on Huntingdale Road and braked heavily, forcing him to stop.

Three men then got out of the car and approached him and his 26-year-old passenger with hammers.

The man quickly put his car in reverse and the offenders ran back into their car.

The offenders chased the car along Huntingdale Road before turning left onto Burlington Street.

The three men involved in the carjacking incident were perceived to have dark-coloured skin, and were wearing black clothing and dark-coloured ski masks.