Dramatic footage has emerged the confronting moment a man covered in blood went on a rant after allegedly stabbing his passenger with a box cutter – while still driving a car-before crashing and then slashing a Good Samaritan and a cop.
Emergency services were called to the Princes Highway, near Old Bush Road, in Engadine in Sydney’s south just before 9am on Sunday following reports of a multi-car crash.
Police allege a 58-year-old man travelling in a white sedan crashed into a blue vehicle – moments after he stabbed his 48-year-old female passenger. Police have confirmed the pair were in a domestic relationship.
His rants to shocked bystanders moments after the collision revealed he had allegedly attacked the woman after she changed the radio channel without his permission.
However, his tirade quickly descended into conspiracies about Covid vaccines.
He is then accused of stabbing a Good Samaritan who had rushed over to assist before turning the knife on himself.
Despite his injuries, the 58-year-old man allegedly tried to flee the scene before he was Tasered by police several hundred metres down the road. He also allegedly stabbed a male police officer, 28. in the left wrist before he was handcuffed.
New footage shows the bloodied alleged stabber screaming at witnesses before running from officers.
The alleged attack played out in front of families as bystanders raced to help the injured.
Cronulla Sharks chairman Steve Mace was one of those who rushed to assist as emergency services made their way to the scene.
He had been driving through Engadine to take his young son to a football final match when he witnessed the crash.
Concerned about the occupants, he jumped out of his vehicle and rushed over to the alleged knifeman’s car to help.
‘I heard the guy screaming in the car and then I heard his partner screaming even louder. I tried to open the door and finally jammed it open,’ he told the Daily Telegraph.
Mace said the alleged knifeman was ranting about his female passenger, saying ‘she changed the radio station on him’.
He later told Ten News the alleged knifeman had attempted to confront the passenger following the crash, but Mace and other witnesses blocked him from re-entering the car.
‘I was trying to drag her out of the car, another guy copped a gash poor fella,’ he said
The man then proceed to rant about how ‘we’re all dead anyway’, according to Mr Mace.
‘It’s a big conspiracy about the jab, we’re all getting followed and we’re all dead anyway, So, you know, she shouldn’t have changed the radio station,’ he recalled.
Six people were treated by paramedics at the scene, including two injured in the crash and four patients suffering from knife wounds.
The man’s partner was rushed to St George Hospital in a critical condition.
It’s since been revealed that the man’s partner, the Good Samaritan and the police officer, 28 were all in stable conditions on Sunday night.
Superintendent Donald Faulds said the 58-year-old man was known to police for various previous offences and he was in a domestic relationship with the 48-year-old woman.
He said there was no history of domestic violence between the pair that police were aware of at this stage.
‘We believe the female was [allegedly] being assaulted in the car while the male was driving,’ he told reporters on Sunday.
‘A number of witnesses mentioned the car was driving quite erratically at the time. We believe that’s when the assault was occurring in the car.
‘The self-harm.. we believe that may have occurred in the car at the same time or immediately after the collision.’
The 58-year-old man was taken to Liverpool Hospital in a critical condition with slash wounds to his arm and neck. He is now in a stable condition under police guard.
Superintendent Faulds said the officer was ‘doing quite well’ as he praised the ‘great work’ by police and first responders – who arrived at the scene around six minutes after receiving ‘multiple calls’ to triple 0 at 8.50am.
He urged anyone with information or dash camera footage to contact Crime Stoppers.
‘There is no tolerance for any type of violence in the community,’ he said.
‘We believe this is a fairly isolated incident between the two, but it did bring in other community members trying to help and be good Samaritans.’
‘They’ve just turned up thinking it was a motor vehicle accident, so they’re obviously going to render assistance to both people, and then they’re faced with a box cutter.
‘It’s quite frightening, but very, very brave as well.’
A witness told Daily Mail the alleged knifeman was pulling onto the highway in a white sedan when he was T-boned by a blue Mitsubishi sedan.
‘He [the alleged knifeman] was ranting and then the police went to arrest him and were shouting ‘get on the road’ and he was trying to self-harm and he was cutting his own wrist and his throat,’ the witness said.
‘Then they chased him up the front to my place and they were trying to revive him.
‘He looked pretty bad. He was losing a lot of blood.’
A witness told Daily Mail he initially believed the stabbing and car crash were two different incidents because they happened at two locations about 200m apart.
He said he saw a blue and white car involved in a smash on the Princes Highway before another man was arrested near a black Hyundai further up the road.
‘The crash happened down at the lights and there was a man ranting and raving there for about 20 minutes,’ he said.
‘Then all the medical stuff and the coppers came. Next minute they were running up to a black Hyundai 200m up the road and arrested a man near the car.
‘To me, it looked like they were already following him, because the coppers were close by. I thought they must of had a warrant for his arrest.
‘He was in a white shirt, then [moments later] it was all red.’
The incident sparked traffic chaos as police were inundated with triple 0 calls from horrified bystanders, who have described seeing ‘blood everywhere’.
The blue Mitsubishi was seen crumpled on the road following the horror smash with debris from the vehicle left scattered for several metres at the intersection.
The white sedan was also left badly damaged after the vehicle mounted the kerb at the nearby pedestrian crossing.
Paramedics worked quickly to assist the injured passengers and crews from Fire and Rescue were also dispatched to the scene.
One passenger was seen being stretchered onto the back of a NSW Ambulance vehicle as first responders held a large dark green sheet to block the view.
The Princes Highway was closed in both directions between Farnell Avenue and Loftus-Heathcote Road for much of the day.
Anyone with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.