Police interview shows one-punch attacker Tyson Armstrong crying as he tells officers: ‘I just wish I walked the f*** away’

Footage shows a man who launched a fatal unprovoked attack at Crown casino shaking and sobbing in a police station as he admits the violent assault “changed my life in a blink of an eye”.

Hours after Tyson Armstrong launched a deadly unprovoked attack on Luke Francis at Crown casino, he was sobbing in a police station “praying to God, I hope he’s OK”.

In a confronting record-of-interview, where the Geelong father is seen visibly shaking and crying, he tells officers: “I just wish I walked the f*** away”.

Just 12 hours earlier, about midnight on March 27, 2022, Armstrong had drunkenly attacked the concreter, 29, from behind as he walked through the casino food court.

In footage that serves as a strong deterrent for anyone looking to get in a fight, Armstrong told police he’d ruined his life and the life of a stranger in “a split second drunk thing”, and he didn’t know why.

Tyson Armstrong launched a deadly unprovoked attack on Luke Francis.

Armstrong was seen visibly shaking and crying in his police interview.

“I feel selfish because I just want to see my family but I just feel like he might not see anyone again from my hands, and that’s what I can’t deal with, it’s not OK … no matter what happens it’s just changed my life in a blink of an eye, I’m never going to be able to forgive myself if he passes away,” Armstrong, now 28, said.

At that time Luke was on life support with a bleed on the brain, but just over 24-hours later, his family would be saying their last goodbye.

Armstrong didn’t recall what sparked his violence.

CCTV from Crown casino, released by the Supreme Court, shows a five-second interaction between the two men on the game room floor before Armstrong follows Luke to the food court.

Armstrong told police he’d ruined his life and the life of a stranger ‘in a split second’. Picture: David Crosling

Luke Francis died three days after being attacked at Crown casino.

In footage not released, Armstrong then pushes his victim into a railing before punching him in the jaw from behind.

Luke would never regain consciousness from this blow.

Armstrong didn’t remember what Luke looked like, or what he was wearing at the time.

He claimed the stranger invited him to go outside and fight, and said he called him a “f***head” and a “little dog”, but footage didn’t seem to support his story.

His own lawyer later said he “saw what wasn’t there to be seen”.

Minutes after the assault, Armstrong was captured on camera walking along the promenade from Crown casino with his cousin Joshua.

In the vision, which was also released, he’s seen speaking animatedly before tapping Joshua on the chin with a closed fist in a mock-punch.

Supreme Court Justice Andrew Tinney described this moment in court like he was “behaving as though he had no concerns in the world.”

Armstrong told police: “It’s just so hard to walk away these days when you’ve had a few drinks.”

“I just wish I could have just walked out the door and gone to the hotel room and none of this would have even happened.”

Armstrong has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and will be sentenced at a later date.

He faces a maximum 25 years jail.