A 33-year-old man has been stabbed to death in an attack at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Parramatta in Sydney’s West.
Emergency crews were called to the scene at 10:30am this morning, reporting that the attack which took place on level 4 in front of Myer.
A witness who did not want to be named told the AAP that the ordeal lasted around 20 minutes, with a man in his 40s repeatedly stabbing another man with a 30-centimetre knife.
“He kept plunging the knife in his chest, in and out, and paced up and down the shopping centre screaming at police,” he said, observing that the man was stabbed three or four times.
“Everyone was very scared and begging for somebody to stop the attack,” he said. “There was blood everywhere.”
The man eventually left the knife in the other man’s chest before police moved in to arrest him in front of Aquila Shoes.
Another shopper told Macquarie Radio that whilst waiting for police to move in on him, the attacker lit a cigarette and took off his shirt. He was eventually tasered and taken to the Parramatta police station.
Parramatta police’s acting Superintendent Jenny Scholz said the attacker and victim were known to each other, believing this to be an isolated incident that was not bikie gang related.
While the investigation is at an early stage, the motive behind the attack is reportedly related to an ex-girlfriend.
“This was a targeted attack and Westfield’s security and police responded immediately,” Scholz said at press conference this afternoon. “[There is] no need for anybody to be concerned in regards to their safety.”
A spokeswoman for Westfield said the centre is offering counselling to both staff and customers. After the attack Level 4 and part of Level 5 were closed off to shoppers while the rest of the centre remained open.
The man is expected to appear in court later today.
More details as they emerge.
Top Comments
Why didn't the police do anything? This could have been prevented!
Come on be reasonable here, How on earth were the police meant to be psychic & know that this was going to happen? There are thousands of potentially dangerous people throughout Australia, the police arent going to be able to predict these things. Really. Be realistic about this
probably because you dont expect someone to go and plunge a knife in someones chest. they cant read peoples minds.
I guess you guys didn't read it through. There are articles that said the police waited. I was referring to the fact that his death could have been prevented had the police intervened. One man with a machete vs hundreds of police with guns.
The world we live in now :(