Police have labelled the brazen daylight attack on a teenager walking home from school in south-east Melbourne “heinous” and say the offenders appeared to be deliberately targeting young people.
“As a parent, it makes me absolutely sick to think that my boy could be walking home from school and randomly confronted by people with knives,” Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Lisa Watson said.
Ainura Dzhunusheva said she’s concerned for the safety of her teenager walking to and from the train station.Credit: Wayne Taylor
The 14-year-old boy from Glen Eira College is in a serious but stable condition after being forced into an SUV at Glen Huntly and then ejected from the moving vehicle by his abductors just after 3.30pm on Monday.
Glen Eira College principal Sheereen Kindler said there was no indication that the offenders were connected to the school.
In a letter to parents seen by The Age, Kindler urged anyone who witnessed the incident or had information about the attack to contact Victoria Police.
Kindler said the school had contacted the family of the student involved and were offering their support.
“This is a horrible situation which has no doubt shocked many of our school community. Our hearts go out to the student, student’s family and friends at this difficult time,” she said.
Watson said police were investigating whether a burnt-out dark grey Volkswagen Tiguan found in Dandenong was connected to the incident. They were also analysing CCTV vision and asking for anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.
Police are yet to interview the teen and Watson couldn’t confirm whether he had been stabbed. His family are with him at The Alfred hospital.
Watson said there were “a number of other incidents” that investigators were receiving information about, but she wasn’t able to discuss at this stage.
About 10 minutes before the abduction, four teenagers were robbed by offenders armed with knives, nearby Kambrook Road, but Watson said they couldn’t confirm if they were machetes. Police are investigating whether the two incidents are linked.
Police said those offenders, who have not yet been identified, stole mobile phones and personal belongings.
Ainura Dzhunusheva, whose son is a year seven student at Glen Eira College, said she travelled on the train to walk him to the school gate in the mornings and afternoons, out of concern over incidents of violence in the area.
“It’s really scary,” she said. “You never know what people can do.”
Premier Daniel Andrews said authorities were working around the clock to investigate the incident.
“Our thoughts are with the young student and, of course, their family and the school community,” he said. “I’m confident the Department of Education will have reached out to the school and we’ll be providing them with whatever support they need.
“This is a terrible incident. And one that will be a real challenge for loved ones.”
Another mother at the school, who asked not to be named out of concern for the welfare of her child, said they discussed with their daughter the possibility of moving schools.
Glen Eira College parents say they fear for the safety of their children.Credit: Wayne Taylor
“There’s been a lot of things that have happened at that school and a lack of accountability around dealing with that,” she said. “There’s no real security, and in the school, there’s a culture where there’s been a lot of violence.”
The mother said her 14-year-old daughter had experienced bullying, which school administrators took a long time to respond to. She said fighting and cyberbullying were becoming commonplace at the school — social issues she felt had also increased at other secondary schools since COVID lockdowns.
“Violence and misogyny and a really toxic sexual culture, especially towards girls, and homophobia has just thrived. It’s horrible,” she said. “It’s not just at this school.”
The abduction occurred as Glen Eira College students were leaving school for the day. The teenager was rushed to the Royal Children’s Hospital with significant injuries and remained there on Tuesday morning in a serious condition.
A spokesperson for Ambulance Victoria said the teenager was transferred to hospital in a critical condition after sustaining injuries to his upper body.
Another mother at the school, Siew Hooke, said her son would usually walk to their home nearby, but she was considering leaving work early on Tuesday to pick him up at the school gate.
She said a recent attempted robbery near the school had also concerned her. Before these recent incidents, she had always felt safe living in the area and sending her kids to school.
“I’m just worried that it’s becoming more of a problem in the area,” Hooke said.
Police are investigating after a teenager was seriously injured in an incident at Glen Huntly.Credit: Nine News
“I’m waiting to see if there’s any further communication about the incident from the school today.”
Knife crime in the area was recently brought to the attention of federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and state Police Minister Anthony Carbines after a February attack on a teenager in Ashburton.
Federal Labor MP Michelle Ananda-Rajah wrote to Dreyfus and Carbines detailing how carrying a knife had become normalised for some children in Melbourne and asking for police to be given increased powers to use metal-detecting wands to randomly scan people for weapons.
In August, Melbourne private schools Sacre Coeur and Scotch College warned school communities about students being attacked and robbed at Chadstone shopping centre and at knifepoint on Glenferrie Rd in Hawthorn.
Police say anyone who sees the vehicle involved in the incident, a dark grey Volkswagen Tiguan, should call 000 immediately.
Anyone who witnessed either incident, or has CCTV or dashcam footage or any other information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
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2023-09-05 05:15:03Z
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