Man dies after being stabbed in altercation at Melton train station

A teen has been charged with the stabbing murder of a man at Melton train station after police scoured hours of CCTV footage to find the alleged attacker.

A teenage boy has been charged with the stabbing murder of a 40-year-old man at Melton train station.

The victim, a 40-year-old Metlon South man, was allegedly ambushed about 2.35am on December 29 last year and fatally stabbed.

A 17-year-old boy was arrested in St Marys in western Sydney on January 28.

The teen faced a NSW children’s court and will now be extradited to Victoria.

It comes after homicide detectives trawled through hours of CCTV in a bid to find the violent assailant.

The victim was walking through the station about 2.30am on December 29, 2021 when he was approached by another male who stabbed him in the upper body.

Police said the victim ran to a nearby Staughton St home to call for help, but he was unable to be revived by paramedics and died at the scene.

Homicide boss Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said police were hunting a group of four males, perceived to be of African appearance, who were believed to be with the assailant in the minutes before the attack.

“It is a violent attack,” Inspector Thomas said.

“We are always concerned when we see this sort of violence, for what appears to be at this point no apparent reason.

“We don’t know (the victim’s) reason for being there. We are trying to work out the motive behind it.”

Inspector Thomas said detectives were doing an “extensive” canvass for CCTV footage at the station as well as taking witness statements in order to piece together what exactly happened. He said it wasn’t yet clear if the parties were known to one another.

“We are looking to see if there is any link to the victim to the group of males,” Inspector Thomas said. “It appears to be an isolated incident.”

The victim was known to police before the stabbing.

Inspector Thomas confirmed the victim was known to police.

He said a brawl on Scott St in Melton, about 5pm on Tuesday, did not appear to be linked to the stabbing.

“It is very early in the investigation,” Inspector Thomas said.

“We will certainly keep an open mind to see if there is any connection but at this point in time we don’t think there is.”

The homicide boss said there would be increased patrols at Melton station in coming days.

Police established a crime scene on Staughton St, with the homicide squad and a crime scene vehicle on site.

The street was blocked off and a car park closed.

V/Line services were told not to stop at Melton as police conducted their operation.

Detectives could be seen on platform two, closed to the public at the request of police.

Melton South residents expressed their shock as they walked past the crime scene.

One man said this was the “third or fourth” incident to take place in the area this month.

Koolio, who owns a barber shop on Staughton St, said he was shocked.

“We can’t access our shops,” he said.

“This isn’t the environment you want for the community and for our kids in the future. It is quite sad.”

Koolio was planning on finishing renovations at his barber shop on Wednesday but was unable to access the store due to the crime scene.

“It is a bit shocking to hear. We were here quite late last night and to hear there was a murder … an hour after we left … it’s quite gruesome.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident or with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report at crimestoppersvic.com.au