Three older people were the victim of two separate stabbing incidents in Perth over the last few days, with one man dying and three people under 20 years old in police custody.
Two teenage girls, aged 18 and 17, were arrested and charged over verbally abusing, punching and stabbing a 74-year-old man on a Karrinyup bus with a box cutter on Sunday afternoon.
A WA Police spokeswoman said the good samaritan intervened during a dispute on the bus involving the young alleged offenders and was trying to shield his wife when they turned their attack to him, inflicting several cuts to his head, face and body.
Both alleged offenders are in custody awaiting hearings this week.
Meanwhile, a grandfather was fatally stabbed outside his Greenwood home on Monday morning with his wife and family dog also being stabbed and required medical assistance.
After calls from neighbours, Colin Norton, 81, and his wife Maggie, 75, were found at the scene by emergency services but Mr Norton unfortunately died at the scene. Mrs Norton was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital where she remained overnight in a stable condition.
Police issued a public safety alert just after 9am, warning residents to stay indoors as there was a man was in the area with a knife. After a major search for the attacker, a 19-year-old was arrested and taken into police custody.
The family dog who had been stabbed coming to the rescue of his owners was also found and taken to a local vet.
At a press conference, Detective Inspector Gary Butler said early stages of investigation suggest the alleged offender and the victims were known to each other in some way.
Media have since reported the couple’s grandson, who lives at the residence, may have been the intended target of the attack and had been warned someone was coming to the house. He was seen on Monday arriving at the crime scene and ABC News reported he broke down crying while other young men arrived to comfort him.
WA Premier Roger Cook described both crimes as “traumatic” and a “horrible situation” for the couple’s family but stood by claims youth crime rates were dropping across WA.
“We actually have had a reduction in youth crime over the years, but what we see is the escalation of these particularly nasty incidences, and I’m pleased that the Department of Transport now have an extensive CCTV system in place to make sure we can get on top of these situations are quickly as possible,” he said.
Mr Cook said the Government was putting the laws and resources in place to try to reduce violence in the community.
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