A woman has been left fighting for life after being stabbed multiple times at a Westfield.
Emergency services were called to Coomera Westfield Shopping Centre on Foxwell Road, on the Gold Coast, at about 1.25am on Wednesday.
A security guard had found a semi-conscious Uber driver, 32, who had multiple stab wounds to her head, neck and back, Queensland Police said.
It is understood the alleged offender was a man in his late teens or early 20s, with dark hair and wearing a light green t-shirt and gray tracksuit pants.
Police said he had booked the rideshare from the Gold Coast suburb Hope Island to the Coomera area.
The trip was booked under a name and police have conducted inquiries into that.
‘We’re still ascertaining who that passenger was… Our investigation shows there was just one passenger in that vehicle,’ Detective Inspector Paul Fletcher said on Wednesday.
The driver was transported to Gold Coast University Hospital, where she remains in a critical condition.
When asked if the woman had been lying in her car, injured, for a long time, Det Insp Fletcher agreed.
‘Our investigations say that she was there for an hour or two before being discovered by the security guard,’ he said.
‘This is an isolated incident and the public should always be aware of their surroundings but they shouldn’t be concerned about this action.’
Det Insp Fletcher said initial inquiries suggest the driver and passenger had no connection, adding officers were following up on whether it was a ‘random’ attack.
‘I don’t there’s any concern about the actual rideshare processes. This… had nothing to do with the actual rideshare company,’ he said.
‘Any type of violent attack is a shock for the community and for the family, but they are getting assistance from the police.’
A crime scene has been established and investigations remain ongoing, with forensic detectives combing the woman’s car for details.
The police search extended to bush area near the shopping centre where they found a ‘number of items’ including a jar, though it is not known what was inside it.
A white SUV was driven onto a tow truck on Wednesday morning before it was taken away from the scene for forensic analysis.
No arrests have been made so far. The man believed to be the offender allegedly fled the scene.
Police have pleaded for any witnesses or anyone with footage of the Foxwell Road area in Coomera between 11pm and midnight on Tuesday night to come forward.
Anyone with information has been told to contact Policelink on 131 444.