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Violent incident shocks Bendigo traders |
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Bendigo Advertiser |
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| A BENDIGO man is in hospital with serious head injuries after being assaulted in the Hargreaves Mall yesterday.
Police said the man was in a stable condition after he was attacked about lunchtime. Witnesses said they saw a 21-year-old man pulled from a shop in the mall before being “body-slammed” to the ground and repeatedly hit and kicked. The violence shocked bystanders and traders who called police before intervening to help the victim. A woman who sat with the injured man until paramedics arrived said he had gone into shock after the attack. She said the young man had been dragged by the neck from inside a store, and from what was being said it related to another incident the day before. “The man picked the victim up above his head and body-slammed him. The young man hit his head and back,” the woman said. “The man then started kicking and beating him. “One man tried to drag him away and another man was verbally and physically attacking him.” The woman said a shop staff member called police before she intervened and yelled for the attackers to leave the man alone. “They knew the police were coming, but they obviously didn’t go too far,” she said. Acting Sergeant Ilan Livingston from Bendigo said a 19-year-old man had been charged with affray and other assault related offences. “He has been bailed and will appear in the Bendigo Magistrates Court on Monday,” he said. “A 23-year-old man is assisting with our inquiries.” A third man could be investigated for hindering police. Police are calling for witnesses to the alleged assault to come forward as investigations continue. “Anyone who saw anything should let us know,” Sergeant Livingston said. Witnesses should contact Leading Senior Constable Lindsay McKenzie on 5448 1300.
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