Man wanted over violent tram stop attack hands himself in to police

A MAN wanted by police over a vicious assault at a Melbourne tram stop has handed himself in after CCTV footage was released.

A man was attacked while waiting for a tram in East Brunswick.

A MAN wanted by police over a violent assault that started at a Melbourne tram stop has handed himself in after CCTV footage of the incident was released.

A 27-year-old Footscray man went to a local police station on Wednesday night and has been charged with recklessly causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury, assault in company and affray.

The victim of the unprovoked attack that started at East Brunswick tram stop now allegedly finds it hard to catch public transport without being traumatised.

Theo was waiting for a tram in May when he was chased by two thugs and bashed unconscious as he sought refuge in a convenience store.

The 27-year-old didn’t know his attackers.

“Catching public transport is hard, especially waiting for a tram — I’m always getting flashbacks,” Theo, who didn’t want to use his last name, told reporters at a police media conference on Wednesday.

He spent days in hospital with a fractured skull. He was unable to walk and had to take time off work and be cared for by his mother.

Police say the Brunswick East attack was “unprovoked but premeditated”.

The victim had seen the assailants — who were in a car stopped at traffic lights — staring at him for some time.

“The passenger was continually staring at me, which is when I said ‘What are you looking at?’” Theo said on Wednesday.

“He then jumped out of the car and started abusing me, yelling at me, threatening me.”

After his friend parked the car the duo chased Theo who ran into a nearby convenience store.

The abuse continued with his attackers threatening to kill him.

“I was punched several times and kicked while on the ground, helpless,” Theo said.

Police on Wednesday released CCTV images of the two men.

“We’re really confident someone out there will know who they are and we obviously encourage these guys to come into the police station,” Detective Senior Constable Andrew Missen said.

“It obviously could have been far worse — luckily for Theo it wasn’t.”