A man has been charged after he allegedly chased people with a box cutter during a suburban soccer match in Sydney’s north-west and slashed a man across the neck before police say he was taken down by bystanders.
John Richard Hickey allegedly embarked on his rampage on Monday evening in Heber Park at Hebersham. Police were told the 24-year-old “chased several members of the public and stabbed a man [aged] in his 20s”.
A 24-year-old man was detained by members of the public after allegedly chasing people with a knife in Heber Park at Hebersham, including slashing a man across the neck.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Tickner, crime manager for the Mount Druitt police area command, said officers responded to a number of calls regarding a man “brandishing a knife”.
“There was a soccer match in progress, kids were playing around the park,” Tickner told reporters on Tuesday.
“All of a sudden this man has [allegedly] pulled out, it was a box cutter-type knife, and he’s slashed one male with that knife causing a significant wound to his neck, and chased males and females around that park until a number of people detained him.”
Tickner said the wounded man, who suffered injuries to his head and neck, suffered a “fairly deep” and centimetres-long cut requiring stitches but has since been released from hospital.
“He’s fine, but it was across the neck and … fairly significant,” he said.
Officers arrived to find Hickey restrained by bystanders on the sports field, who went to the aid of those people allegedly being chased.
Hickey was arrested and assessed under police guard in hospital, while a knife was seized for forensic examination. He was then taken to the police station and charged with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, common assault and two counts of stalk/intimidate with intent to fear physical harm.
Source Agencies
