Off-duty cop stabbed as teens gatecrash party in Bonnyrigg
A 17-YEAR-OLD boy who allegedly stabbed off-duty police officer Branko Markovic in the stomach during a struggle outside a 16th birthday party in Sydney’s west has been charged over the incident.
NSW
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A 17-YEAR-OLD boy who allegedly stabbed an off-duty police officer in the stomach during a struggle outside a 16th birthday party in Sydney’s west has been charged over the incident.
Senior Constable Branko Markovic, 34, was a guest at a Bonnyrigg Heights Community Hall with his wife and children when he noticed a teenager try to punch another partygoer in the face outside the hall about 10.55pm last night.
When he approached the gatecrashers outside the hall on Chopin Close, the teen and two others fled and the officer gave chase.
He managed to capture a 17-year-old male and they both fell to the ground.
But during the struggle, the officer was stabbed in the abdomen with a 10cm knife.
Even with his injury, he was able to detain the teen until his colleagues arrived and arrested him.
His wife who was also at the party thought she was watching her husband bleed to death.
“She was one of the first on the scene and she was hysterical,” Assistant Commissioner Peter Thurtell said of the officer’s wife.
“(It’s a situation where) your husband is potentially going to die in front of you.
“Because there was blood everywhere they initially thought that they had hit an artery.
“The first notification I got was that things were grim. So she is there thinking that things are grim.”
Sen-Constable Markovic was rushed to Liverpool Hospital where he underwent surgery for the stab wound.
He is in a serious but stable condition after surgery but was released form hospital this afternoon.
Sen-Const Markovic works in the domestic violence team at Fairfield LAC.
“It was a very brave and for him to put him self in danger when off duty, but after he was stabbed, he also maintained hold of the offender,” Assistant Commissioner Thurtell said.
“It goes to show the dangers of policing and that as a police officer you are on duty 24/7 and that the public expects us to do a our duty.”
The offender, 17, was tonight charged with wound with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, intimidation (x2), and have custody of an offensive implement in a public place.
He was refused bail to appear at a children’s court tomorrow.
Asked if there would be further charges because the man allegedly stabbed a police officer, the Assistant Commissioner Thurtell said: “If the fellow knew he was a police officer, then maybe.
“What is a 17-year-old kid doing going to a party armed?” he continued.
Police are still looking for three other males who were at the party, one of which was a guest.
One local resident was walking home with her husband when she came across the crime scene.
“It’s sick, they’re just kids,” she said.
“We’ve lived here for 16 years and nothing like this has ever happened before.”
The stabbing happened directly outside the driveway of 44-year-old Elsa Lopes’ home.
Blood from the incident was still visible on the road right next to her driveway today.
While she wasn’t home at the time of the incident, Mrs Lopes’ mother heard screaming, shouting and sirens.
“We were petrified to find out that it all happened right on our doorstep,” she said.
“The police had to escort us around the long way to get to our house because of the crime scene.
“There are a lot of parties across the road, but in my 19 years of living here I’ve never experienced anything like this. It is very scary.”
Mrs Lopes said when she arrived back there was about eight police cars and 20 police officers on the scene.
Yasir Alhirz, 17, lives directly opposite the Bonnyrigg Heights Community Centre.
He also arrived home after the incident, but says he and his family are shocked.
“There was also a few small fights before the actual incident,” he said.
Anyone with information should contact Fairfield Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.