A suspected knifeman of Asian appearance has been arrested 11 hours after allegedly stabbing a stranger in the face, arm and hand on a Sydney bus.
NSW Police launched a manhunt after the 54-year-old suspect allegedly attacked another passenger inside the bus in Marrickville in the city’s inner-west at about 1am on Thursday, before fleeing into a park.
A 51-year-old man was treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in a serious but stable condition. Police then set up a crime scene and established a strike force before arresting the man in the same suburb almost half a day later.
Videos taken by 7News and a local resident show the alleged knifeman being disarmed and placed into a police van while surrounded by officers, and at one point a knife appeared to be confiscated.
Police do not believe the pair were known to each other, investigations are ongoing, and the bus is being examined by a forensics team.
NSW Police Superintendent Despa Fitzgerald said the man, who was known to police, was arrested after being recognised by an officer in the street.
“The male was walking on a public street on Illawarra Road, where a police officer recognised him and confronted him, and he was arrested,” she said.
“It was good old-fashioned policing in terms of knowing where people might be residing, visiting, and just the local area.
“It was random, it would have been terrifying on that bus, being a witness or the victim, and it’s important that the community feels safe.”
The man was taken to Newtown Police Station, and is yet to be charged.
Header image: Left, right, the man being arrested (7News, Facebook).
