Major update after Coles worker was allegedly stabbed by a teenager at a shopping centre in Ipswich
- Woman allegedly stabbed in Coles
- Boy, 13, charged with attempted murder
A 13-year-old boy has been charged after allegedly stabbing a Coles employee.
A teenager was charged with attempted murder after the 63-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed in the supermarket at 5.22pm on Monday.
Queensland police allege the boy approached the worker before stabbing her in the back with a knife, leaving her with life-threatening injuries.
He fled the scene before he could be detained by officers but was tackled by a member of the public and later arrested.
He is due to appear at Ipswich Children’s Court on Tuesday.
Police and paramedics were called to Yamanto Central in Ipswich, southwest of Brisbane, after reports of an alleged stabbing in Coles.
The 63-year-old woman was treated at the scene and taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition, where she remains on Tuesday.
Shocked shoppers were evacuated from the center as police cordoned off the busy supermarket and set up a large crime scene.
Coles at the Yamanto Center in Brisbane’s south-east was closed on Monday evening after a female worker was reportedly stabbed in the back (police are pictured at the scene)
Yamanto Central (pictured) was evacuated on Monday as police launched an investigation
Several police vehicles remained at the shopping center while forensic officers at Coles took photographs and searched the crime scene.
The 13-year-old boy was taken into custody and interviewed by police on Monday evening before he was later charged.
The mall reopened later, but most stores were closed that night.
A witness described the moment members of the public chased the boy through the center after the alleged stabbing.
“The next thing he was sprinting, there were 15 people chasing him and he was walked out in handcuffs and everything… I was just shocked because he was so small,” they told 9News on Monday.
Forensic officers were seen in Coles taking photographs and searching the crime scene with several police vehicles parked outside the centre.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Coles for further comment.
Anyone with information or video footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.