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A man has been arrested after allegedly punching a 10-year-old boy and repeatedly stabbing his mother with a pair of scissors in Melbourne\u2019s CBD.<\/p>\n
Police said the random attack outside Victoria Police\u2019s Spencer Street headquarters on Tuesday afternoon only ended when several passersby intervened.<\/p>\n
![\"Police](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/429319f9fdfebee646055f20c1d7b14c39e6ea10.jpeg\")
Police were on the scene quickly to arrest the man.Nine News<\/p>\n
Superintendent Zorka Dunstan said the woman\u2019s two other children witnessed the violent assault. The family had been visiting the city from Phillip Island.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man was walking south, and as he passed them, he randomly punched the 10-year-old then kept walking. He then turned around, grabbed mother in a headlock and started to stab her repeatedly with a pair of scissors,\u201d Dunstan said.<\/p>\n
Dunstan said she learnt of the incident while she was in her office upstairs and went immediately to the scene.<\/p>\n
Dunstan said police were horrified by the attack, and grateful that three people came to the family\u2019s aid before police arrived to arrest the alleged attacker.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a citizen immediately intervene, who jumped onto him and just pulled him off the mum, and then the other two added assistance by grabbing him as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt [was] heroic, without the intervention, it could have been a lot worse, so we are so grateful for their assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 10-year-old is recovering at The Royal Children\u2019s Hospital, while his 46-year-old mother is at the nearby Royal Melbourne Hospital with injuries to her back and shoulders. \u201cShe was in fairly good spirits given the circumstances,\u201d Dunstan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin a minute, we had police from the Melbourne West Police Station quickly attend and take over the arrest \u2026 and take him into custody immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mother was visiting the city from Phillip Island with her three children, aged 10, 11 and 16.<\/p>\n
Dunstan said the incident had also traumatised the family. \u201cOne of the boys was an 11-year-old, he was crying, I gave him a hug,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took him over to the police museum just to keep him distracted while [his] mum was being treated,\u201d Dunstan told 3AW.<\/p>\n
The 27-year-old man from Sunshine West will be interviewed by police.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Dunstan said while the attack was random, the man was known to police in Victoria, NSW and Western Australia.<\/p>\n
Liz, an eyewitness who spoke to 3AW, said that she saw a woman with \u201cblood all over her back\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was with a child \u2026 [who] was getting taken into another ambulance.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuckily, he looked like he was okay, but clearly shaken.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of Liz\u2019s work colleagues saw the man getting tackled by a passerby in a citizen\u2019s arrest, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it was right outside the cop shop, so the police were there quite quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts<\/a>on email or turn on notifications in the app.<\/p>\n CORRECTION<\/p>\n An earlier version of this story said the mother who was attacked was 30 years old. She is 46. The error was made by Victoria Police.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n