Knife attack, youth crime crisis driving Logan residents out of town

Two teenage boys have been “dealt with” under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act after a stabbing attack at Logan left another teenager “oozing” blood on the side of the road.

Police have confirmed two teenage boys, one 15 and one 17, have been “dealt with” under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act after a stabbing attack at Logan which left another teenager “oozing” blood from multiple wounds on the side of the road.

The mother of a 13-year-old who witnessed the incident recalled every parent’s worst nightmare happening to her late Tuesday evening.

“My son rang me and said ‘mum can you get here quick? (The victim’s) been stabbed’,” the Yarrabilba resident said.

Without wasting a second, she raced to the location she believed her son and his wounded 18-year-old friend were.

“I pulled up, I ripped the handbrake up, I’ve jumped out, (and) I’ve asked his other friends to move out of the way,” she said.

“He was responsive but I just tried to calm him down and let him know that everything was going to be OK and I checked to see where the wounds were first.

“I didn’t know about the one on the front because he was laying (sic) flat down. There were just pools of blood around so I had my feet in blood and I was trying not to get distracted by that.”

Neighbours say this mark on Bernard Cct is blood from the victim of Tuesday’s stabbing incident. Picture: Jessica Baker

She said she lifted his shirt, which had been wrapped around one of his wounds, and placed a towel over the “oozing” blood, applying pressure to the area with her knee.

An ambulance spokeswoman later confirmed the 18-year-old suffered stab wounds to his back, arm, and abdomen.

He was treated on the street where he was stabbed, Bernard Cct, before being rushed to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a serious condition. He is now understood to be home and in a stable condition.

It comes amid a huge surge in the city’s youth crime rate, which a local police officer says began several years ago but only recently gained significant media attention.

A police source from Logan said he understood recidivist offending by youths in the area to be “systemic” – as many young residents lacked parenting, were “runaways”, or in state care – and far worse than in other parts of Queensland.

“It’s been problematic for a number of years and it’s just on the increase,” he said.

“It’s a lot of recidivism, and a lot of kids find going to juvie is a safe place for them.”

Bernard Cct resident Leah Mathews called triple-zero as an 18-year-old boy was stabbed three times outside her house. Picture: Jessica Baker

He said for many Logan kids, who perhaps grew up without stability or a fixed address, juvenile detention could feel like a “positive thing” as it was a place where they could ‘be a kid’ – with a PlayStation, consistent meals, somewhere to sleep, and a roof over their heads.

The officer said the teenagers involved in the incident on Tuesday were local and known to the community.

Although a witness said it looked as though a group of boys with T-shirts covering their faces had set upon one victim, a mother of one of the teenagers involved said this was not the case.

She said the stabbing victim, her son, and about five other boys were walking home from an 18th birthday celebration when they “bumped into” someone the victim had “history” with.

“Once (the victim has) realised who it was (he) turned around to run, but then realised he couldn’t really run, so he’s turned around to face him and as he’s done that to lock horns with (the offender) he’s copped a couple of jabs,” she said.

“(The victim) was trying to understand why he wasn’t punching him in the face or anything but then (he) realised he’s been stabbed.

“He’s come running down and stumbling pretty much and said to … my son ‘I’ve been stabbed’, so my son’s seen the whole thing. He’s traumatised.”

A Logan mum said this week’s incident was the second time in a matter of months her young son was confronted with a knife in Yarrabilba. Picture: Google Maps

The mother, who has lived in Logan all her life, said she had never seen youth crime quite like she had over the past six months.

It was only recently that her 13-year-old was faced with another knife, this time yielded by a teenage stranger, at the McDonald’s in Yarrabilba. Thankfully, she said everyone came out of that incident unscathed.

“Is that the life that children in Yarrabilba have to fear? Getting hurt with a knife? They can’t cruise around with their friends or anything, so I’m a bit worried for my children,” she said.

The mother said the only reason the boys involved were not wearing shirts on Tuesday was the heat. She insisted there was only one offender.

She said the incident should be a “wakeup call” to all parents – a sign that they needed to put certain strategies in place and “chastise” their children – and to schools, where bullying continues to prevail and sometimes leads to violence.

A Logan police officer said it was crucial local residents “step up” and protect themselves from youth crime by keeping their cars and houses secured at all times.

Police statistics indicate there has been a huge increase in alleged offences committed across Logan, with more than 18,800 allegedly occurring in the past six months compared with about 16,400 in the six months preceding.