Hero tradie stabbed in Melbourne’s CBD performing citizen’s arrest

A heroic tradie has been stabbed in the leg in Melbourne’s CBD performing a citizen’s arrest on a man allegedly carrying a knife.

The incident unfolded when a 32-year-old Dallas man Hakan Sahin allegedly ran through a shopping centre carpark armed with a knife on Lonsdale St about 6am on Thursday.

Two tradies chased the man along Elizabeth St and tackled him to the ground near the Lonsdale St intersection.

A 41-year-old tradesman from Maddingley was stabbed in the lower body trying to hold down the man before police arrived minutes later.

He was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

A 35-year-old Sanctuary Lakes man was uninjured during the citizen’s arrest.

Mr Sahin appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday evening.

The court was told he had a 15cm knife when he ran towards a member of the public who was waiting for the carpark elevator.

He swung his knife at the member of the public then ran away, the court was told.

A second bystander was also accosted by Mr Sahin at the entrance of the carpark, the prosecution said.

“(Sahin) appears to have called out to the member of the public and begun walking towards him,” the police prosecutor said.

“He hunched forward, increased his pace ... the member of the public backed away cautiously from Sahin and positioned boom gates between them.

“Sahin made a brief lunge towards the member of the public before turning around and walking back into Lonsdale St.”

The court was told Michael Webster, the stabbed man, “parked his vehicle in the underground carpark and had observed Sahin as he entered”.

“Webster was terrified that Sahin would eventually stab someone and began warning members of the public that there was a person running around with a knife,” the prosecutor said.

“Webster followed Sahin and continued to call out to him asking if he was OK, if he could help him.

“As Webster followed Sahin, he was followed by (two other people). The three followed Sahin as he approached the intersection of Elizabeth St and Lonsdale St.

“Sahin placed the knife in his pocket (when he was at the intersection) and Webster (and the two others) used the opportunity to take Sahin into custody due to the fear that he was going to stab someone.

“As the three members of the public grappled with Sahin, Webster attempted to remove the knife from his pocket. Sahin resisted and the knife was lodged into the right inner thigh of Webster.”

The prosecutor said Sahin was interviewed by police and said “his actions were due to hearing a female’s voice. He stated he hears the voice via hotspot and that she was being raped and assaulted by a group of men”.

“Sahin stated he was trying to find the men and if he did find any person he believed to be associated with the female, he would stab them,” the prosecutor said.

No female was seen on the CCTV, the court was told.

Nikail Sood, appearing for Mr Sahin, told the court his client had “clear mental impairment”.

A police spokesman said Mr Sahin was charged with affray, recklessly causing injuries and using a controlled weapon without an excuse.

Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge said: “These alleged offences seem to have occurred when (Mr Sahin) was completely delusional but holding very dangerous, delusional beliefs, where he has a knife with him, where he causes a great deal of fear and consternation to the extent that members of the public feel compelled to intervene, where one ends up with a knife injury.”

Mr Sahin was refused bail and the case will return to court on January 20.