Chilling footage has emerged of a man who appears to be armed with a knife running near one of Adelaide’s busiest roads where a female SA Police officer was stabbed in the neck on Wednesday.
Video obtained by 7NEWS appears to shows the alleged suspect running near Main North Road at Elizabeth East where the officer was seriously injured in an incident that saw police swarm into the area at about 11.22am.
The video also appears to show a female police officer holding her throat while colleagues arrest and restrain a man nearby.
Police said the officer was stabbed in the neck while responding to reports of a man armed with a knife running around Main North Rd at Elizabeth East, with the alleged attacker, a 27-year-old Woodville Gardens man, then shot in the leg by police.
Both are in hospital, with the police officer being treated for serious injuries.
A grandmother who witnessed the incident while driving past the scene with her grandson said the man chased the officer with a kitchen knife, according to Nine News.
“The man with the knife took off after the young female officer,” the witness said.
“She started to run on the road to try and get away from him. He grabbed her by the vest.”
“It was a huge… kitchen knife, probably 10 to 12 inches long. It was a huge blade.”
Premier Peter Malinauskas has hailed the bravery of the female officer.
“On behalf of all South Australians, I thank her for her bravery, and I wish her a full and speedy recovery. I also extend my sincere thoughts to her family and police colleagues,” he said.
Acting Assistant Commissioner David O’Donovan said the police officer was transported immediately to hospital and is currently receiving treatment for serious injuries.
The suspect is now facing “very serious charges”, Mr O’Donovan said.
Investigators from both the Major Crime Unit and the Internal Investigation Branch attended the scene and will conduct their own investigation alongside local police.
Mr O’Donovan said there was no “ongoing threat or risk” to the public and encouraged any witnesses or anyone with information or dashcam to come forward.
He said the incident reflected the “harsh reality” of their line of work.
“There is no police officer that comes to work and looks forward to being assaulted at any stage,” he said.
“We know that our work is inherently risky. We endeavour to provide all of our staff with the appropriate training, with the appropriate equipment with the decision-making skills to deal with these very challenging and difficult circumstances when they appear but it is a harsh reality of the work we do.”
Southbound traffic on Main North Rd remained closed to traffic into the evening as Major Crime Detectives, Forensic Response Section and Internal Investigation Section remained on the scene.
Local resident Beverley Lock said she came out to see what was happening after police swarmed the area.
“It’s quite frightening that it’s just happened across the road,” she said
“My heart goes out to the police officer just trying to do their job.
“Nobody’s life should be at risk for trying to help their community.”