Carousel Shopping Centre: WA Police search for two men after violent knife fight

UPDATE: Police are searching for two assailants who fled the scene of a violent knife fight that plunged Westfield Carousel into lockdown.

While police initially said a 20-year-old victim had been slashed in the face in the altercation it is now unknown how he received his injuries.

“It has now been ascertained there was a third male involved in the altercation, who is believed to have been armed with a second knife,” a police spokeswoman said on Friday night.

“It is not known at this time how the victim received the injury – if this was during the physical altercation or from the knife.

“Both knives have been recovered with the assistance of an off-duty police officer.

“Two males remain outstanding at this time.

“There is no ongoing threat to the public or cause for further alarm.”

Police received a “large amount” of triple-0 calls, sparking a mass response to the Cannington shopping centre about 3.30pm on Friday.

It is understood one of the assailants fled the scene on a bus.

The victim has been taken to Royal Perth Hospital. His injuries are said to be minor.

Shortly after the incident, one eye witness reported shops were locked down within the shopping centre for up to 30 minutes.

“My daughter and I arrived there about 3.30pm and we went to Myer. We were trying to just walk through Myer to get to the other part of the shops and it was all locked down,” she told 6PR.

“We couldn’t get out and people were just running through the shop saying someone’s got a knife.

“We just saw ambulance people arriving there was still cops that’s not a nice feeling.

“It was absolutely awful ... it was like holy crap like this is real now. It was only half an hour but it was a long half an hour.”

Several shops inside the centre decided to close for the rest of the day in the wake of the incident.

WA Police Inspector Geoff DeSanges said it was understandable that those inside at the time would have been frightened.

“That’s completely understandable considering what’s occurred in the Eastern States, in Bondi in recent times, and other reports of knives within our community,” he said.

“It’s completely understandable that people would be concerned. However I want to assure the community that there is no cause for alarm.

“This occurred between three individuals only. The weapons used have been secured by police and we seeking to identify and locate the two other people who remain outstanding.”

One of the men is described as being a light-skinned male in his late teens to early 20s.

Mobile phone vision taken from inside the shopping centre on Friday afternoon showed one shirtless man waving around a knife walking through the shops while another person could be heard screaming “put it down”.

Forensic officers were focusing on an area outside Cotton On Body in the aftermath of the fight. One of the knives was reported to have been seized inside the store.

The area was cordoned off with white barriers, with a heavy police presence at the scene on Friday night.

One worker at a nearby pop-up store, who didn’t want to be named, said a “group of teenagers were arguing” before the group dispersed.

She said she saw a “shirtless teenager with a large knife”.

“Everyone was running… we were terrified,” the worker said.

Multiple people have told The West the offender appeared to be chasing school children near the area where the knife attack occurred.

A worker at another store described seeing a male laughing at the scene of the shock stabbing.

The woman said the man was wearing a “basketball singlet with a backpack on his front”.

Jade Watson, who was working at Colette, said she had just finished her shift before the chaos unfolded metres from the store.

“I just finished my shift and I was walking out and I heard screaming… I sort heard something drop to the floor, and then everyone started running,” she said.

“I threw my bag to the floor, dragged the table in… (my colleague) dragged the door across and I locked one entrance.

“We saw the security running around, but we didn’t actually have anyone approach our store, individually.”

Ms Watson said she was left shaken by the ordeal after she barricaded herself inside the store with a colleague and customers for around one hour.

The decision to lock the store down came after people from other stores alerted staff at Colette to an ongoing incident involving a knife over a group chat.

“You can’t even go to the shops and feel safe, especially after everything has happened earlier this year with Bondi Junction, Ms Watson said.

“You have always got to be aware, constantly, like you’re never safe anywhere (even when) you are going to work or going to shop.

“I’m grateful I didn’t leave at the end of my shift because my best friend, who’s also my manager, would have been alone... I don’t know how she would have gone by herself, but I’m glad we were there for each other.”

Friday’s attack followed an incident a fortnight ago, which saw police rush to Karrinyup Shopping Centre after a juvenile allegedly brandished a knife and threatened staff when he was accused of shoplifting from Myer.

A Westfield Carousel spokesperson said: “The safety of our customers, business partners and people is our highest priority. Our centre team are assisting Police in relation to this matter and will continue to do so.”