Man’s hand amputated after suffering serious injuries in machete attack

A 33-year-old man who was set upon by machete-wielding thugs at Central Square Shopping Centre in Altona Meadows has had one of his hands amputated.

A man has lost his hand ­following a horrifying machete robbery at a shopping centre in Melbourne’s southwest.

The 33-year-old man was approached by a group of males at Central Square Shopping Centre in Altona Meadows at about 8pm on Saturday.

The violence unfolded at Central Square Shopping Centre in Altona Meadows.

He was pushed to the ground before one of his alleged attackers pulled out a machete and struck his forearm. The offenders then stole the victim’s phone as they fled the scene.

A police statement said the victim sustained “serious ­injuries” in the attack and was “taken to hospital for ­treatment”.

Witnesses reported seeing blood everywhere and the man’s hand barely attached.

It’s understood the victim underwent surgery on Sunday at the Royal Melbourne ­Hospital to amputate the lower part of his damaged arm.

The attack is the latest in a series of machete incidents at Melbourne shopping centres this year.

The infamous machete brawl between rival gang members at Northland shopping centre in May triggered the Allan government to fast track the state’s machete ban, which will come into effect on September 1.

Originally published as Man’s hand amputated after suffering serious injuries in machete attack