Chinese delivery rider stabbed to death in Melbourne CBD, man arrested
A 47-year-old rider from Shaanxi died and a second rider was hurt after the pair confronted a man over their bikes, police said.
A food delivery rider from China was stabbed to death while working in Melbourne's CBD on Friday evening. A 51-year-old man has been arrested, the South China Morning Post and The Australia Today reported. According to the SCMP, the Chinese consulate in Melbourne has demanded justice over the death.
The SCMP said the dead man was 47 and came from Shaanxi province in China's north-west. The Australia Today reported he worked for the delivery platform HungryPanda and had not yet been formally identified. A witness who knew him told the Herald Sun he was a father of two whose children were in China. "He was working all day here, trying to feed his family," the witness said, as quoted by The Australia Today.
Victoria Police said the two riders confronted a man who was "tampering" with their bikes, which led to an "altercation", the SCMP reported. The Australia Today said the stabbing took place on Frederick Way shortly before 8.10pm on Friday, 6 November. It cited reports that the alleged attacker stabbed one rider several times in the chest and wounded the other once. Emergency services performed CPR, but the first man died at the scene.
The second rider, a man in his 30s, was taken to hospital with stab wounds that were not life-threatening.
The Australia Today said footage shared on WeChat reportedly showed a man collapsing against a restaurant wall while another person tried to help him. In the footage a bystander could be heard asking for towels to put pressure on the wound. Other HungryPanda riders reportedly chased the alleged attacker towards a nearby bus station, but he got away still carrying a knife.
HungryPanda said it was deeply saddened by the death and had set up a dedicated response team to contact the family and offer support. "The safety and wellbeing of every delivery rider remain among our highest priorities," the company said.
The SCMP reported that the death has caused outrage online over delivery platform policies and the safety of gig workers. The Australia Today cited a recent survey of 250 delivery riders and drivers by law firm Slater and Gordon. In that survey, 65 per cent said they were concerned about their safety at work and half said they were worried about being assaulted.
Homicide Squad detectives set up a crime scene between Queen Street and A'Beckett Street. On Saturday morning they arrested a 51-year-old man from Footscray, who remains in custody and is expected to be interviewed. Police said they were not looking for anyone else and that investigations were continuing.
Sources: South China Morning Post, Chinese consulate in Melbourne demands justice after fatal stabbing of delivery worker; The Australia Today, Delivery rider and father of two stabbed to death in Melbourne; 51-year-old man arrested.
