Woman Tasered and charged after daylight alleged stabbing at popular inner-city cinema
Updated . First published at
A woman has been charged after she was Tasered and arrested for allegedly stabbing a 48-year-old man in the hand outside a cinema in Sydney’s Inner West.
Police allege the 26-year-old woman was wielding a kitchen knife stolen from a nearby Mitre 10 and swinging it at people along King Street in Newtown shortly after 11.30am on Monday.
A woman has been Tasered and arrested after a 48-year-old man was allegedly stabbed in the hand. Instagram/@crazy_news_in_sydney
A witness shouted “run everyone, there’s a lady with a knife” as she was seen screaming and waving the weapon.
A 48-year-old man tried to confront and disarm the woman before he was stabbed in the hand, police allege.
Emergency services were called to the Dendy Newtown cinema following reports of an assault.
A NSW Ambulance spokesperson said paramedics treated a man with hand injuries, who was the only patient involved, before taking him to the Sydney Hospital Hand Unit in a stable condition.
Read more
Celebrity fitness entrepreneur Sam Wood to stay behind bars after domestic violence charges
Police allege the woman targeted passing cars before officers arrived and found her still armed with the knife.
NSW Police Acting Inspector Lachlan Pritchard alleged officers found the woman nearby and that she was confrontational with authorities.
He said she was arrested after allegedly refusing repeated directions to drop the weapon.
“She was still armed with the knife. As a result, police deployed a Taser, which was effective,” he said.
Police allege the woman targeted passing cars before officers arrived and found her still armed with the knife. Supplied
Just after midnight on Tuesday, police announced the woman had been charged with multiple offences.
One witness told 9News that officers repeatedly ordered the woman to drop the knife.
“The police ran over, tasered her twice, ’cause she wouldn’t put the knife down,” they said.
“They said it a lot, and then there was just a bunch of yelling and stuff and screaming. That was really scary.”
Vision posted to social media appears to show the woman pinned to the road while screaming, as onlookers carrying shopping bags watch nearby.
Officers can then be seen moving her beside a shopfront, where they speak with her before she is taken away.
Local businesses and their customers were instructed to stay indoors during the ordeal. 9News
“Police secured her in handcuffs, and she’s [was] conveyed to Newtown Police Station,” Pritchard said.
The incident unfolded in front of dozens of people out in Newtown on a public holiday, with witnesses describing the scene as frightening and confronting.
Local businesses and their customers were instructed to stay indoors during the incident and multiple stores had to temporarily close.
Emergency services were called to the Dendy Newtown cinema on King Street about 11.40am on Monday. Instagram/@crazy_news_in_sydney
“It was still in shock, I think,” one witness said.
“It’s just very shocking for the town, honestly. Like, Newtown’s a really happy place, and then this one is, like, very scary today.”
A crime scene was established as police investigated the circumstances surrounding the incident. A knife seized at the scene was sent for forensic examination.
Police described the alleged attack as a random, isolated incident. They said it was concerning but there was no ongoing threat to the community.
King Street was closed for several hours, disrupting traffic and public transport through the busy area.
The road has since reopened in both directions, with the Transport Management Centre confirming diversions have been lifted and traffic conditions have returned to normal.
The 26-year-old was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, going armed with intent to commit an indictable offence, resisting a law enforcement officer and two counts of larceny.
She was refused bail to face court on Tuesday morning.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
