A getaway car was found burnt out in Altona North after a man was shot at a nearby cafe late on Tuesday night. (ABC News)

Detectives from the Gang Crime Squad are investigating a late night shooting outside a cafe in Altona North in Melbourne’s west on Tuesday.

A 49-year-old man is being treated in hospital after being shot in the arm outside Cafe Squared in the Borrack Square shopping precinct at 11:30pm.

Police said 14 people were sitting outside the cafe drinking coffee and socialising when a white Toyota Hilux approached.

“Without any warning, there were three shots fired into the crowd of people,” Detective Inspector Graham Banks said.

“Two struck one person in the arm, the third didn’t hit any person and was found lodged in a vehicle nearby.”

He said investigators had linked the incident to the illicit tobacco trade, but declined to say whether that was due to the cafe or the people in the crowd.

The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Inspector Banks said he was known to police but it was possible he was a random victim of the shooting.

He said footage of the incident was confronting.

“It’s clear when you look at that CCTV footage that it is a very indiscriminate shooting,” he said.

“The way this has transpired, it would be impossible to say with any certainty that any person was being targeted.

“It may well be just a random shooting at that crowd of people to send a message or it may well be a targeted attack on that person or someone else and that person has been injured as a consequence.”

The vehicle used in the shooting was found burnt out at the intersection of McArthurs and Chambers roads about 2:50am.

Inspector Banks said it had been stolen from Newport last month and was fitted with cloned registration plates.

He described the incident as outrageous.

“Unfortunately, this is the type of conflict we are seeing [with the illegal tobacco trade].”

He said detectives were also reviewing CCTV footage collected from the area where the car was dumped.