Woolies employee stabbed amid chaos in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula

A Woolworths staff member has been stabbed by a customer in a major escalation in violence at Australian supermarkets.

A Woolworths employee trying to collect trolleys has been stabbed by a customer in a major escalation in violence at Australian supermarkets.

As chaotic scenes played out at supermarkets around the nation, police said the 37-year-old was stabbed in the car park of the Rosebud supermarket, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, this afternoon.

It is believed a staff member was collecting trolleys when he was approached by an unknown man and stabbed to the lower body just before 1pm.

Paramedics were called to the scene about 12.55pm and treated a man for a lower body injury.

A Rosebud man was airlifted to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police have arrested a 25-year-old man in relation to the incident.

Police say the 37-year-old was stabbed in the car park. Picture: Channel Nine

Witness Deb said the Woolworths store went into lockdown and was taped off by police.

She told 3AW there were three police cars and two ambulances at the scene.

“We saw everyone running in there,” she said. “It is quite scary actually.”

The incident comes after days of tension among shoppers sometimes fighting over limited stock on shelves including toilet paper, soap and other essentials due to panic buying.

CHAOS IN OTHER SUPERMARKETS

Elsewhere, an angry shopper accused of striking a Coles employee with a stick in Melbourne has been charged.

The 43-year-old man was held down in a citizen’s arrest by a group of customers at the Brunswick supermarket about 8.30pm on Sunday.

Police spokeswoman Nikki Ladgrove confirmed the incident at the Sydney Rd store but said the staff member did not require medical treatment.

“A passer-by who intervened and rendered assistance sustained minor injuries during the incident,” she said.

“The 43-year-old man was charged with recklessly causing injury, unlawful assault, assault with a weapon and possessing a dangerous article.”

It comes after footage emerged of yet another stoush over toilet paper emerged between a Coles employee and a customer.

Major supermarkets continue to take steps to protect their staff from abusive shoppers caught up in panic buying.

In the video, which was shared on Coles’ Facebook page by an onlooker, a female staff member can be seen standing on a pallet handing out toilet paper to customers.

A male customer refuses requests from another staff member to leave the supermarket and continues to badger the employee handing out toilet paper.

RELATED: Follow the latest coronavirus updates

The man ignored requests to leave the store and continued to ask who the staff member was giving the large packs of toilet paper to. Picture: Facebook

“Answer my question please … who is the big one for?” he asks.

“Just get out … I am being fair by giving it out randomly,” the female staff member replies.

But the man refuses to leave, accusing her of “not being fair”.

“If you were a man I going (sic) to smash your face,” he said.

“Get out! Get out, you piece of sh*t!” the staff member screams, before the man is escorted away by a security guard.

The employee returns to handing out the toilet paper, telling the next customer: “Sorry, I’ve lost my temper.”

More to come

Originally published as Woolies employee stabbed amid chaos in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula