- Man charged after allegedly brandishing knife
- Incident took place at Parramatta Westfield
A man has been charged after allegedly pointing a knife at another customer’s head at a busy Westfield complex.
Lachlan Ebejer, a man in his 20s, entered Parramatta Westfield at around 9.30am on Saturday and allegedly robbed a store.
According to police, he then entered a second store and armed himself with a knife, which he then held behind a customer’s head.
The customer confronted Ebejer, who then walked away, leaving the knife behind, police allege.
Shortly after, officers arrived at Westfield and attempted to arrest Ebejer, who, according to police, attempted to assault the officers.
They then frisked the man and seized 69 gift cards and a pair of earrings, which were believed to have been stolen.
Ebejer was taken to Parramatta Police Station and charged with shoplifting, taking goods, using a knife in a public place, causing fear for the safety of a person and intimidating a police officer in the execution of his duty.
He was refused bail and will appear in Parramatta District Court today.
The 24-year-old entered Parramatta Westfield around 9.30am on Saturday and allegedly stole from a shop
Scentre Group, which operates 42 Westfield shopping centres in Australia, launched a review of its security processes earlier this year after a man killed six people and injured several more with a knife at Westfield Bondi Junction on April 13.
Since then, the company has expanded the number of security personnel and introduced stab-resistant vests for its security personnel.
The Scentre Group has been contacted for comment.