Updated ,first published
The man who allegedly went on a stabbing rampage in Sydney’s west, killing one person and gravely injuring two others, absconded from mental health treatment while being transferred between hospitals 10 days earlier.
The 25-year-old is now in police custody, but is yet to be charged, after being arrested on a nearby street shortly after the alleged attack in Merrylands about 10am Tuesday.
Witnesses described “harrowing” scenes on Merrylands Road, hearing a terrifying scream, pedestrians sprinting from danger and others rushing to help bleeding victims, as the man allegedly stabbed multiple people with a large kitchen knife before fleeing on foot.
A man aged between 30 and 40 years old died at the scene. He is yet to be formally identified. Two others, a woman aged 47 and a man aged 22, were taken to hospital in a critical condition.
The alleged attacker was known to police for petty crime and mental health incidents.
In a statement, Western Sydney Local Health District confirmed a person “alleged to be involved in the incident” was recently a patient receiving acute inpatient care for complex mental health needs 10 days before the alleged attack.
“This person absconded from care while being transferred from Cumberland Hospital to Westmead Hospital emergency department for further medical assessment,” the health district said.
“NSW Police were notified, and contact was made with the patient’s family, but all attempts by [Western Sydney Local Health District] to contact the person were unsuccessful.”
A formal review into the man’s treatment and care will include an external senior psychiatrist, the health district said.
“We also extend our sympathies to the first responders who have been impacted by this incident.”
The alleged rampage spread from one end of the block to another, with the crime scene spanning about 50 metres.
CCTV footage broadcast by Nine News showed the man running along a path next to the train tracks shortly after the alleged attacks. Terrified, a woman pushing a pram in front of him started running to get away before he passed her.
One attack occurred in or outside Bina’s Nepalese grocery store on Merrylands Road, just doors down from Granville MP Julia Finn’s office. Medical equipment and police forensic markers were dotted along the street.
Joseph Roussini, 59, called Triple Zero after hearing a woman “screaming for her life”.
“I could see a man and a lady coming out of the shop, and the man was holding the lady by the neck, and there was blood pouring out of her neck, and he was trying to stop the bleeding,” he said.
“[She] was in a terrible state.”
He said bystanders rushed to help and every “second felt like a year” waiting for paramedics.
One shop owner said he heard a scream and saw people “sprinting” down the street. Another woman, who asked not to be identified, said she saw dark police cars cruising along the street shortly after the incident, with helicopters circling above.
“It was really harrowing,” she said. “I don’t feel safe.”
None of the victims were related to one another.
Riot police scoured the area, marching through gardens and knocking on doors before the 25-year-old man’s arrest.
Footage released by NSW Police showed the man, handcuffed and barefoot, being led from the police wagon into Granville Police Station. He is expected to be charged later on Tuesday.
Superintendent Simon Glasser said police quickly locked down the area, but it took around 40 minutes to locate the alleged offender.
Glasser said the man was known to police for petty crime and a number of mental health incidents.
“It was highly confronting. It’s a horrible offence to have taken place,” Glasser said.
Police also located a kitchen knife with a 20-30 centimetre blade near the scene which they believe was used in the attack.
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