Man shot in the foot during wild brawl on busy strip
One of two men accused of shooting another man in the foot during a daylight brawl in Sydney’s west was allegedly then pistol-whipped with his own gun by a bystander as he wrestled on the ground.
One of two men accused of shooting another man in the foot during a wild brawl in Sydney’s west was allegedly then pistol-whipped with his own gun by a bystander.
Police allege that Guildford locals Ahmed Houda, 22, and Mohammad Wais Niazy, 25, were among a group of four men who began fighting in Berry Street, Clyde just before 5pm on Monday.
It is understood that a Glock pistol was brandished before 48-year-old Ishan El-Hourani, who owns Auto Sport Detailing on Berry St, was shot in the foot.
He is recovering in a stable condition at Westmead Hospital and it is not yet known what triggered the violence that erupted outside his business.
MORE NEWS
Man ‘sent graphic nudes’ to ex
Girl trampled by 600kg horse in ‘freak accident’
How much traffic cameras made in your street
Police also allege Houda assaulted Mr El-Hourani’s son as he tried to come to the aid of his father.
Police Order and Riot Squad officers arrested three men shortly after near Parramatta Road, one of whom was wearing a balaclava.
Houda allegedly tried to run away but was caught by police a short time later.
A mechanic at the scene said he pistol-whipped one of the attackers with their own gun on Monday afternoon.
“I was in the shop and all I heard was a couple of real loud bangs,” he said.
“I see the blokes across the road wrestling, my boss kicks the gun away and we get one of the blokes on the ground.
“I picked up the gun … it was bigger than the ones the cops have.
“I went up to one of the blokes and hit him across the face with it.”
The witness described the gun as looking similar to a Glock 17.
Houda and another man were taken to Granville Police Station, while Niazy was taken to hospital under police guard after suffering several facial injuries.
Overnight, Houda was charged with discharge firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and common assault.
Police also charged Niazy — or “Cisco” to his friends — with discharge firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Neither men were required to appear when their cases were briefly heard at Parramatta Local Court on Tuesday but their lawyers said they’ll both make bail applications on Thursday.
Niazy’s mother and three other supporters were present in court.
“He’s a good boy, I don’t know what’s happened,” she said outside court.
A third man, aged 22, from Chester Hill was charged with affray and will face Parramatta Local Court on February 5.
Yesterday, Mr El-Hourani was seen arguing with three men before one of them allegedly fired a shot.
He was seen by witnesses originally wearing handcuffs before he was released while lying on a stretcher.
The alleged victim “winked” at onlookers before he was loaded into an ambulance and started laughing and pointing at the riot squad, a witness said.
Officers were seen storming a nearby mechanic warehouse after the men were detained as bystanders including elderly witnesses watched on.
A witness who was standing on Berry St when police arrived and tackled the trio said the three men were dressed entirely in black and one of them was wearing a balaclava.
“I saw cops take it off after they handcuffed him and then it was hanging around his neck,” he said.
“There was a guy lying down with handcuffs on and his face was split in many different areas.
“It looked like he had a broken nose and cheeks”.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article reported that Ahmed Houda is the brother of well-known criminal lawyer Adam Houda. That was incorrect
Jewish community hosts vigil to remember terror victims
An early morning vigil has been held at Bondi Beach on the anniversary of October 7 Hamas Terror attack in Israel. Members of the Jewish community, dignitaries, MPs and survivors were in attendance.
Fears October 7 anniversary could ignite unrest in Sydney
Fears of unrest in Sydney consume the first anniversary of Hamas’ terror attack, after pro-Palestinian protesters swarmed the CBD on Sunday, taking aim at state and federal politicians.