Police have alleged a man shot in the abdomen in the centre of Melbourne on Friday night had threatened and pursued protective services officers with broken glass.
It was one of two separate incidents in Melbourne’s CBD on Friday night after a 27-year-old man allegedly attacked four people with a glass bottle after a reported botched handbag robbery on a tram.
At a press conference on Saturday, the police assistant commissioner Dean McWhirter alleged police and protective services officers were attending the earlier incident when the 20-year-old man approached them and began making threats.
The Pakenham man, 20, has not been interviewed or charged and is set to undergo surgery after he was shot by a PSO near Princes Street Bridge about 7.30pm on Friday.
McWhirter alleged that after additional PSOs came to assist the man, but he produced a broken bottle and “made threats”.
“When they did that, he produced a broken bottle and made threats towards one of the PSO members in particular,” he said.
The officers attempted to use pepper spray on the man, who continued to pursue and threaten one of the PSOs.
“It was at that point in time that another PSO saw what was happening ... produced his firearm and and shot two shots of the person, one striking him in the abdomen,” McWhirter said.
Two officers drew their weapons, but only one fired the two shots. The second bullet has not been accounted for. McWhirter maintained there was no danger to public safety.
“In this situation, we had a crime scene that was already established ... so there wasn’t an immediate threat to people who were in the immediate vicinity,” he said.
“The offender, obviously was shot and injured. He was then subsequently detained,” McWhirter said.
He was taken to the Alfred Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, where he remained on Saturday afternoon in a stable condition awaiting surgery.
McWhirter praised officers for using tactical options he said were available to them, including attempting to diffuse the situation.
“They’ve been confronted with a really serious situation where a member is quite clearly going to be injured in terms of the actions of the of the offender … he’s trying to make space to get away from him,” McWhirter said.
“It’s an awful situation for the person who’s been shot,” McWhirter said. “And it’s tragic in itself, but thankfully, he is okay. And will recover from his injuries.”
Armed crime squad detectives will now investigate the incident as per standard protocol when a firearm is discharged, with body worn camera being reviewed by Crime Command investigators.
McWhirter said the man was not known to police and had no criminal history.
In the earlier incident, a man allegedly attacked four people with a glass bottle after a reported botched robbery.
Officers were told the man initially boarded a tram where he allegedly unsuccessfully attempted to rob passengers. before getting off at Princes Bridge.
A short time later, he was arrested near Flinders Street on the Princess Bridge.
“He’s subsequently got off the tram, started walking north along St Kilda Road, where he pulled out a bottle and struck a person several times into the face,” McWhirter said.
A witness who chased after the man to identify him as an offender was also allegedly glassed.
The 27-year-old South Melbourne man allegedly attacked at least one more person before he was arrested at the scene and charged with four counts of recklessly causing injury.
The victims, a 67-year-old man and three women aged between 34 and 56, were taken to hospital in a stable condition and at least two have since been discharged.
