A man has been hospitalised after he was stabbed with a knife so brutally it snapped off at the hilt leaving the blade inside of his abdomen.
Police rushed to the corner of Ann and Constance street, in Brisbane‘s Fortitude Valley, about 3:30am on Sunday where they found the 21-year-old with the handle of the blade next to him.
He received first aid at the scene before being taken to hospital in a stable condition.
Police believe the man was robbed of a gold chain during the attack as he left a venue.
He was one of three victims in a spate of knife attacks in the Safe Night Precinct on Sunday morning, with another 21-year-old and a 23-year-old also being targeted in suspected robberies carried out by a gang of ‘four or five’.
A 17-year-old accused of being one of the knifeman has since been charged with one count each of robbery with violence, grievous bodily harm and stealing after allegedly attempting to flee the scene.
He was one of three victims in a spate of knife attacks in the Safe Night Precinct on Sunday morning, with another 21-year-old and a 23-year-old also being targeted in suspected robberies carried out by a gang of ‘four or five’. Pictured: Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley
Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham on Sunday revealed revealed the extent of the terrifying incident.
‘The handle of the knife had broken off during the attack and remained inside the victim, that was a large knife,’ he said.
‘What we’ve been able to ascertain since that time is that a group of four to five men donned masks and balaclavas and then set about … robbing individual persons as they left licensed venues.’
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The second 21-year-old victim entered Fortitude Valley Police Station with a ‘fairly major’ stab wound to his back at about 3:20am and was rushed to hospital with a collapsed lung.
The 23-year-old suffered significant wounds to his right forearm and face.
Det Supt Massingham said the knife gang ‘acted in concert together’ in an attempt to ‘rob people in the early hours of the morning while they were vulnerable, together, while armed, in company, for the purpose of financial gain’.
‘Whether they are a gang or a group of persons with the same motives at this stage is unclear.’
Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham (pictured) said a group of men wearing masks were targeting people as they left venues in order to rob them
He confirmed police have been instructed to strenuously make an application for bail to be denied for the accused 17-year-old.
‘These four to five males that are still outstanding, I have requested all available detectives in the Brisbane city area to work around the clock until we locate them,’ Det Supt Massingham said.
‘That will only be a matter of time and I’m confident in the coming days we will have all four or five or those males in handcuffs.’
Anyone in the area at the time who witnessed anything unusual is urged to contact Queensland Police or CrimeStoppers to help fill ‘gaps’ in police timelines.
