Harris Scarfe Moonah stabbing: Shopper tells how staff saves worker’s life in shoplifting incident

A shopper has described how towels were soaked in blood as Harris Scarfe Moonah workers tried to save the life of one of their young colleagues stabbed during an alleged shoplifting gone wrong.

Stabbing in Moonah at Harris Scarfe. Picture : Mireille Merlet

A shopper has described how towels were soaked in blood as Harris Scarfe workers tried to save the life of one of their young colleagues critically injured in an alleged stabbing attack by a customer accused of shoplifting in Moonah on Friday.

“Without a doubt the workers at Harris Scarfe saved that boy’s life,” said Helayne Short, a customer who went to help the young man attacked at the back of the shop.

Mrs Short was shopping with her daughter just after noon when she heard an announcement over the in-store public address system.

The announcement asked if there was a doctor or nurse in the store and if so could they come to the back of the shop.

Stabbing in Moonah at Harris Scarfe. Picture : Mireille Merlet

A sign on the door to customers of Harris Scarfe Moonah. Picture: Mireille Merlet

Mrs Short, who is trained in first aid, decided she should go and see if she could lend a hand.

“I was thinking someone had fainted or had a heart attack,” Mrs Short said.

But when she got there she saw a young man slumped against a wall while staff members stemmed the flow of blood with towels.

“The bravery and quick thinking of Harris Scarfe staff saved his life,” Mrs Short said.

“When I got out the back they had towels on the wounds applying pressure attending to their comrade.”

There was also a nurse from the Royal Hobart Hospital treating the victim.

Mrs Short then helped out by holding a towel herself while emergency services rushed to the scene.

She said the young man, a Harris Scarfe employee, had a slash across his face and what looked like multiple wounds to his abdomen.

She said the towels were soaked in blood.

While she was applying pressure to a facial wound Mrs Short said the victim was alert and talking.

While she did not see the stabbing Mrs Short believes a male had been evicted from the store earlier in the day.

Police out the front of Harris Scarfe in Moonah. Picture: Mireille Merlet

It is understood the young employee moved out the back of the store to see where he had gone.

It was then he saw the male in an alleged altercation with another person at the back of the store and stepped in to intervene.

Allegedly the male then turned around and attacked him.

“His face was slashed and he was stabbed in the body, there were obvious wounds,” Mrs Short said.

“Towels were soaked in blood, the staff were traumatised but there is no doubt the staff at Harris Scarfe saved that boy’s life.”

Tasmania Police said the victim was in a critical condition in Royal Hobart Hospital and two males were in custody helping them with the investigation.

A sign on the front door of the shop advised customers that Harris Scarfe would be closed for the rest of the day, with a crime scene declared at the scene.

Originally published as Harris Scarfe Moonah stabbing: Shopper tells how staff saves worker’s life in shoplifting incident