Moses Thurairajasingam: Horrifying moment a Cranbourne West teen allegedly stabs a cop after making a fake call to triple-0
Shocking police bodycam footage has captured the horrific moment a mentally ill teenager confronts and stabs an officer in his driveway.
Moses Thurairajasingam, 18, had his bail application rejected when he appeared in Melbourne District Court on Wednesday.
The A Cranbourne West teenager allegedly lured police to his home in Melbourne’s south-east on Tuesday by calling 911 to report a burglary in progress.
Charges against Thurairajasingam include assaulting an emergency worker on duty, intentionally causing serious injury, assault and making a false report to the police.
Police allege the teenager made a false report of assault during a violent burglary.
The court heard that officers arrived at the scene ‘believing they were approaching someone who needed their assistance.
On Wednesday, confronting footage from the officer’s bodycam and surveillance cameras from Thurairajasingam’s home was shown to the court.
The bodycam showed an officer calmly approaching Thurairajasingam, after which the teenager grabbed a 5-inch knife from behind his back and reportedly stabbed the officer.
The officer, who had been with the police for 18 months, suffered a 5-centimeter deep wound to his thigh, which required surgery.
Police bodycam footage has been released showing Moses Thurairajasingam, 18, stabbing a police officer at 4:35pm on Tuesday
Thurairajasingam was denied bail after allegedly stabbing a police officer
About 40 minutes after Thurairajasingam allegedly called Triple-0, police arrived and found him outside the building.
The officer gets out of the car and walks over to the teen, asking him if he called the police.
Thurairajasingam replied “yes” before reportedly lunging at the officer with the knife.
We hear the officer scream in pain and stumble backwards.
βF**k, I got stabbed,β the officer shouted.
‘Oh damn.’
CCTV footage from the house shows another angle of the attack, with the injured officer able to get back to his feet.
According to police, Thurairajasingam shouted “shoot me” three times before the injured officer’s colleague ordered the teen to drop the knife as he pushed him to the ground and handcuffed him.
βI want to get shot so I can go to heaven,β the teenager allegedly told the officer.
The court heard that the diagnosed schizophrenic had asked his sister a few hours earlier if “If he stabbed someone, would the police shoot me?”
She had ignored the 18-year-old’s gibberish, unaware that it was about an alleged plot he was going to set in motion.
An alternate angle captured on CCTV reportedly showed Thurairajasingam with a knife behind his back, moments before he allegedly stabbed the officer
Thurairajasingam had also been diagnosed earlier depression and was prescribed medication after a seven-week hospital stay in 2021.
When opposing bail, Detective Constable Ashley Hall claimed Thurairajasingam knew exactly what he was doing when he ‘lured’ police to his home and that he had ‘no remorse for his actions’.
βIt was a calculated attack,β she warned.
βHe has clearly expressed suicidal thoughts and he is prepared to use other people to achieve a goal,β the Public Prosecution Service said.
“There was nothing that could have lessened the risk, especially to his family. He could have attempted suicide by police officer again.”
His bail application was denied and Thurairajasingam was ordered to remain in custody, where he will undergo psychiatric treatment until his next court appearance on November 22.
The court heard that Thurairajasingam was living with his family at the time of the attack and was taking medication for his mental illness.
He had applied for bail in the hope that he would be taken to a secure facility pending his next court appearance.
CCTV shows the moment the male officer realises he has probably been stabbed
Moses Thurairajasingam’s mother refused to answer questions outside court on Wednesday
The family of Moses Thurairajasingam faced a media spotlight on Wednesday as they left a Melbourne court
Police said Thurairajasingam posed a danger not only to them, but also to his own family and anyone who encountered him.
βWe’re afraid he’s going to stab someone,β the detective said.
The court found that Thurairajasingam had no history of violence reported and had never been noticed by police until Tuesday.
In refusing to grant him bail, Judge Stephen Ballek acknowledged that Thurairajasingam posed too great a risk to the community to be released.
Magistrate Ballek said the alleged violation was “very serious.”
βNot only the stabbing itself, but also the actions of the suspect were calculated and planned,β he said.
Thurairajasingam’s family declined to comment in court on Wednesday about the alleged attack outside their home.