Corio man Tony Lewis allegedly ‘slashed’ by machete after hit-and-run

A Corio grandfather is calling for the state’s machete ban to be fast-tracked after a teen allegedly slashed him with the weapon, leaving him bloody and terrified, while fleeing a hit-and-run.

A Corio grandfather is calling for the state’s machete ban to be fast-tracked after a teen allegedly slashed him with the weapon while fleeing a hit-and-run.

Tony Lewis, 63, said he was home with his wife and daughter about 6.30pm on Saturday when they were startled by a “very loud crash” and commotion outside.

Police said an allegedly stolen Mazda sedan collided with a Mitsubishi near the intersection of Princess and Cabernet roads.

Spokeswoman Leonie Johnson said the 16-year-old driver of the offending car allegedly accelerated in an attempt to flee, crashing into a house.

Mr Lewis said he walked out the front of his house to find the boy and his three passengers running down the street, while being chased by the 30-year-old driver of the other car.

“We went outside to help, as I think anybody would,” he said.

Mr Lewis said he pulled out his phone to call triple-0, when the 16-year-old boy ran towards him.

“He said, ‘get off the f---king phone, you dog, I’ll kill ya’,” Mr Lewis said.

“As I was taking the phone from my ear, he waved the machete up next to his head saying again, I’ll f---king kill you dog.

“He’s thrown the machete and hit me in my left thigh.”

“I put my hand on the outside of my tracksuit pants, and my hand was covered in blood.

“I’m six foot eight tall, I am a very big man … I was scared.”

Ms Johnson said Mazda’s three teenage passengers were picked up by a 35-year-old Corio woman, but were arrested later that night.

One passenger, an 18-year-old Newcomb man, was charged with theft of a motor vehicle and possessing controlled weapons.

He was bailed to appear at Geelong Magistrates Court on August 20.

The other passengers, two 16-year-old boys, were cautioned and the Corio woman was interviewed and released pending further inquiries.

Police said the 16-year-old alleged driver handed himself in and was charged with theft of a motor vehicle, intentionally causing injury and driving offences.

He was bailed to appear in a children’s court.

Mr Lewis called for stricter bail laws.

“There are no consequences,” he said

“We’re excusing these people for their youth.

“That kid drove a car into a house, that kid wielded a machete at a person who’s very big … we seem to say ‘they were just a kid’, and it almost dismisses that kids can kill.”

“He threatened to kill me.

“And he could have … absolutely no doubt about it.”

Mr Lewis also said the state government’s ban on machetes, to come into effect on September 1, must be fast-tracked.

The Allan government launched a nation first machete sale ban last month in the wake of a spate of knife crime, capped by a terrifying incident at Northland Shopping Centre, in Melbourne’s north.

Last week a chilling video of a thug wielding a huge machete outside Belmont Village Shopping Centre surfaced.

On June 10, a teen allegedly wielding a knife also caused chaos at Newcomb Central Shopping Centre, with one woman telling the Geelong Advertiser she feared she would “get stabbed”.

On May 30, a 24-year-old man was arrested with a machete outside two Lara schools.

Originally published as Corio man Tony Lewis allegedly ‘slashed’ by machete after hit-and-run