Maroubra Junction Hotel stabbing: offender shot dead after police attack
Police officer John Breda is serious but stable after being stabbed by a man wanted on child sex offences who was then shot dead.
UPDATE: A senior policeman is in a serious but stable condition in hospital following emergency surgery after being stabbed multiple times at a pub in Sydney’s east by a man wanted for child sex offences.
Detective Sergeant John Breda was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in a critical condition. He underwent surgery and on Saturday he remained in the intensive care unit in a serious but stable condition, a police spokeswoman said.
His attacker, 33-year-old Nick Newman, was shot dead by the police officer’s partner, according to witnesses, in the confrontation at the Maroubra Junction Hotel.
Assistant Commissioner Mark Walton said the two officers with Det Sgt Breda were traumatised about how the “relatively routine situation” escalated.
A critical investigation has been launched which will be subject to an independent review.
Police investigating child sex abuse attended the hotel around 3.15 on Friday afternoon as part of ongoing inquiries.
They confronted Newman, who then lunged at Det Sgt Breda, a 45-year-old decorated detective — and stabbed him in the chest.
Paramedics and police backup arrived moments later — the Maroubra Police Station is a hundred metres down the road — and took Det Sgt Breda to St Vincent’s Hospital.
Lots of police and the road (Maroubra road) is roped off after reports of a stabbing pic.twitter.com/JjnX7zJ68B
— Sam Buckingham-Jones (@SamEBJones) January 26, 2018
NSW Police have opened a critical incident investigation.
“The two other detectives have both discharged their firearms and stopped the offender who has fallen to the ground,” assistant commissioner Mark Walton, who heads the Central Metropolitan Region, said. “The offender has died at the scene.”
He said the attack “happened very quickly”.
“This is a relatively routine situation, and unfortunately that’s escalated and we’ve ended up with a serious outcome.”
Scott Weber, president of the Police Association of NSW, said all three officers should be lauded for putting themselves in danger and very nearly “making the ultimate sacrifice”.
“We have three police officers who went out to keep NSW safe, and one of them was severely injured,” he said. “Every day when we go out to protect the people of NSW, we realise we may not be coming home.”
A witness told Seven News they saw blood everywhere. “I reckon I saw about four, five shots easy. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,” he said. “We don’t know what’s happened, who’s got shot ... we saw blood everywhere. It all happened so suddenly.”
Noel Whelan, a musician from southern Ireland, was staying at the Maroubra Junction Hotel and walked out as “all hell broke loose”.
“I was on my way out there right,” the 68-year-old said.
“Everything seemed calm enough. All of a sudden I see the police, the sirens, police car — one, two, three — ambulance. All hell broke loose. The next thing I see a guy coming out of the hotel, he seemed to see what happened. He said a police officer had been stabbed and the policeman shot him, shot the guy who stabbed that police officer.”
He said the confrontation had taken place in the beer garden of the hotel.
“I come to Australia to play music,” he said. “I come to chill out. I’ll still be coming back again.”
Police put out an appeal for public assistance yesterday to find Newman, saying he was of large build, with short black hair and was “known to frequent the Redfern, Sydney CBD and Nepean areas.”
Police have since cordoned off Maroubra Road and all businesses within 100 metres of the incident have been closed.
There is a heavy police presence along the road as detectives from the homicide squad and a critical incident team scour the area.
More to come
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