A 42-year-old sergeant was allegedly attacked by a 32-year-old man inside a busy pub in Sydney’s inner west on Friday afternoon, with CCTV showing the assailant charging from an elevator and wrestling the officer to the ground, police said. The man was later sedated by paramedics, taken to hospital and arrested after his discharge; he has been charged over the incident.
NSW Police said the sergeant was conducting street patrols along Burwood Road in Burwood when he entered the hotel to investigate reports of shouting. Footage obtained by radio station 2GB shows the officer looking around the premises when a man runs from an elevator, pushes the officer into a wall and the two become engaged in a physical struggle that ends on the floor.
Police allege the attacker told the officer he wanted to "kill" him and attempted to stab the officer in the face with a pen during the altercation. Patrons standing metres away were seen stunned bystanders in the footage; a member of the public intervened and helped restrain the man until additional officers arrived.
Paramedics sedated the 32-year-old at the scene and transported him to hospital. He was taken into custody when he was discharged the following day, police said. He appeared in Parramatta Local Court and was bailed to appear at Burwood Local Court on Sept. 16. He faces charges including assaulting a police officer in the execution of duty, causing actual bodily harm and being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence.
The officer sustained minor injuries, police said. No further details on his condition were released.
Kevin Morton, president of the Police Association of New South Wales, said he was shocked by the speed of the alleged attack and noted the sergeant was experienced. Morton told 2GB he learned of the incident shortly after returning from the funeral of Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, one of two Victoria Police officers shot dead in the state’s high country in a separate incident two weeks earlier.
Police have not released further identifying details about the accused. Investigators said the matter remains under active inquiry and that footage and witness accounts are being reviewed as part of the investigation. Local court documents list the next scheduled appearance for Sept. 16.
The incident has drawn attention from policing bodies concerned about the safety of officers on routine patrols and sparked calls for continued review of officer training and public safety measures. NSW Police have urged anyone with additional information or footage of the incident to come forward to assist the investigation.