A man is being treated in hospital after being stabbed in South Yarra

A man in South Yarra has been rescued from a knife-wielding attacker by his cousin, who says if he hadn’t been there to intervene ‘would probably be dead’.

Police and detectives investigating after a man was stabbed on Sunday morning. Picture: Sarah Matray

A man has been seriously injured by an accused hammer-wielding attacker in South Yarra this morning, after the victim allegedly tried to bum a cigarette.

Andrei Tarasevici, 42, said his cousin Sergei Bobilkov was assaulted by an alleged attacker with a hammer and then a knife in the stairway of their apartment on Simmons Court this morning.

Mr Tarasevici said Mr Bobilkov went up stairs to ask his neighbour two floors above for a smoke.

Instead the person who answered the door allegedly flew at him and began a frenzied attack.

“When the door opened he got a smack on the head with a hammer,” Mr Tarasevici said.

Mr Tarasevici said the alleged attacker then ran down the stairs after Mr Bobilkov and stabbed him with a knife, leaving him bleeding on the stairs.

Police search the area near to where a man was stabbed on Sunday morning. Picture: Sarah Matray

“He was screaming ‘help me, help me’, so I ran outside and saw the guy on top of my cousin trying to stab him, I tried to help by getting the knife off him,” Mr Tarasevici said.

“If it wasn’t for me he would probably be dead.”

Mr Tarasevici said there was blood all over their apartment, as well as the stairs.

Mr Bobilkov was taken to The Alfred hospital with serious injuries.

Police were called to the scene just after 8am and had arrested a man before 9am.

Mr Tarasevici said he had never seen the man before.

The cousins, who were born in the Republic of Moldova and immigrated to Australia in the 1990s had been living together at the Simmons Court housing commission.

Mr Tarasevici said his cousin was a good person who tried to help others in the community.

“I can’t comprehend it myself at the moment,” he said.

Police at the scene told the Herald Sun that the alleged attacker wasn’t believed to be an official resident of the apartments.

Officers as well as forensics detectives were at the Simmons Court estate during the morning, photographing evidence at the scene.

Rubbish was strewn around the tower where the attack took place, and police tape hanging from an abandoned shopping cart.

MORE NEWS:

TWO MORE ST KEVIN’S TEACHERS’ EMPLOYMENT ‘CONCLUDED’

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NORTH EAST LINK

COMMUTERS TRAVELLING WITH DOGS LEFT STRANDED

One resident of the public housing block, who preferred not to be named, said there was a “dangerous element” but mostly it was a quiet community.

Another nearby resident Marie, who didn’t want to give her surname, said the area was plagued by problems.

“Terrible, shocking lots of drugs … you can walk along and pick up a pocket full of syringes,” she said.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.