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Paramedic viciously stabbed and slashed while on duty
The paramedic was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, and police say a bystander helped stop the attacker.
On Thursday, a 32-year-old man allegedly stabbed an on-duty Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance paramedic in the neck and face outside a cafe in Reservoir, leaving the victim in serious but stable condition at Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Ambulance Victoria chief executive Jordan Emery condemned the "unprovoked and random" attack, noting that more than 1,000 paramedics are assaulted annually in Victoria, citing the psychological toll on emergency workers.
A bystander intervened to stop the attacker, allowing the paramedic to perform first aid on himself until colleagues arrived. Police arrested a 32-year-old man at a Winter Crescent property just before 1pm.
Facing the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday, the suspect faces attempted murder charges. Since 2018, injuring an emergency worker has been a category 1 offence in Victoria, carrying a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill continues lobbying for stricter penalties, stating assaults must be met with the law's "full force." Concerns persist regarding the "special reasons" clause that may allow reduced sentences if mental state is self-induced by drug or alcohol use.