Authorities charged a man for allegedly attacking a 10-year-old boy and stabbing the boy’s mother with scissors outside a police station in Melbourne.
The attack happened at around 1pm on 25 Aug on Spencer Street in Melbourne’s CBD, near Victoria Police headquarters.
Victoria Police said the 27-year-old man approached a family of four who were standing on the footpath.
The family included a 46-year-old mother and her three children, aged 10, 11 and 16.
Superintendent Zorka Dunstan said the man allegedly punched the 10-year-old boy in the stomach before walking away.
Source: 9News
He then allegedly turned back, grabbed the boy’s mother in a headlock and stabbed her multiple times with a pair of scissors, mainly in her back, according to ABC Australia.
“He started to stab her repeatedly with a pair of scissors,” Superintendent Dunstan said.
Police said the attack appeared to be random, and there was no indication that the man knew the family.
“It’s completely random, we’re horrified by it,” she said.
During the attack, a passerby intervened and tackled the man, pulling him away from the woman, 9News reports.
Two other members of the public then helped restrain the suspect until police arrived.
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Superintendent Dunstan praised the bystanders for their actions, saying their intervention likely prevented the situation from becoming more serious.
“It’s heroic, without a doubt without their intervention it could’ve been a lot worse, so we’re so grateful for their assistance and I’m sure the family are as well,” she said.
Police officers from the nearby station arrived within about a minute and arrested the suspect.
They also seized a pair of scissors allegedly used in the attack.
Paramedics took the mother and her 10-year-old son to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Witnesses saw medical staff taking the woman into an ambulance with blood on her back.
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The attacker did not physically injure the woman’s two other children, aged 11 and 16.
The family was visiting Melbourne from Phillip Island.
Superintendent Dunstan said what the other two children saw affected them.
Source: 9News
“One of the boys who was 11 years old, he was crying … I gave him a hug because I was impacted just watching how he reacted,” she said.
Speaking to the media, she recalled telling the 10-year-old boy how fortunate they were that good Samaritans stepped in to help his mother.
Police said authorities in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia know of the suspect, a Sunshine West man. However, he has no extensive criminal history.
They believe he may be experiencing mental health issues.
They remanded the man and scheduled him to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 26 Aug.
Police said the investigation is ongoing.
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Featured image adapted from 9News.