‘Should we kill him?’: chilling taunt in e-bike attack
Melissa Meehan |
A teenage boy has recalled being pushed from his e-bike and chased by robbers with machetes who questioned whether they should kill him.
The 18-year-old, who did not want to be identified, was set upon by two male youths as he stopped briefly to check his maps at JW Manson Reserve in Wantirna.
The teen, who was 17 at the time and had never been to the reserve in Melbourne’s outer east, said his attackers – both armed with machetes – chased him as he ran away, about 6.15pm on June 30.
“I could hear them saying ‘should we just kill him now’ as they were running after me,” he told reporters at the reserve on Friday.
“It was pretty scary.”
He was hit from behind with a machete as he tried to run away, causing a deep shoulder cut and at least two others wounds.
His attackers fled and left the teen to seek help from passers-by who called an ambulance.
The teen was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, which required surgery with at least one wound needing as many as 40 stitches.
He spent four days recovering in hospital.
The teen said he believed the attackers were going to kill him.
The robbers took off with the e-bike, a Surron brand Ultra Bee HP, worth about $10,000, and a mobile phone.
He had worked hard to save up for the e-bike and used it every day to get around.
When asked if he was scared to go out riding again, the teen said he didn’t have a bike to use but it was probably unlikely to happen to him again.
“There is no need to carry a weapon of any type, especially in Australia,” the teen said.
Senior Constable Samuel Beard described the attack as “disgusting, deplorable and simply atrocious”.
“He’s been here doing nothing but enjoying a ride … and he’s been set upon for no reason,” Sen Const Beard said.
“It’s absolutely cowardly. They think they are tough – there is no toughness in what they’ve done.
“They are absolute cowards to take his bike, his phone and just leave.”
Police on Friday released CCTV and still images of two males wanted over the attack.
The footage showed two youths leaving the reserve and riding around the area.
One was riding the victim’s stolen e-bike, while the other rode an e-bike police believe the pair arrived on.
Police patrols of the area were boosted in response to the attack and detectives continue to investigate if the suspects are locals.
Anyone who may have footage of the offenders or information about the attack has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
AAP