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CRIME SCENES:
The court house area where a visitor to Wagga was glassed early on Saturday morning (left) and the scene at No 96 where a security guard was stabbed in the chest when he confronted a teenager for kicking the glass door.Photo:
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One victim stabbed in chest, the other in the head
TWO men have been stabbed with smashed glasses in an alarming escalation of weekend violence in Wagga’s central business district.
The glassings happened within 100 metres of each other and in the space of 20 minutes early on Saturday morning.
One man was stabbed three to four times in the chest while the other man had a broken glass rammed into the side of his head.
Police have charged two teenagers over the unrelated incidents.
Mayor Kerry Pascoe was disturbed at hearing of the latest trend in violence.
“Any type of assault is serious, but glassing is extremely serious because it is potentially lethal,” Councillor Pascoe said. “I’m getting sick and tired of what is happening ... and it’s all related to alcohol.”
Wagga police duty officer, Inspector Nick Markulin, said the first attack happened about 2am.
“The victim, a Katoomba man, was sitting with a number of friends outside the Wagga Court House when he was approached by an 18-year-old male who asked him for a cigarette,” Insp Markulin said.
“When the victim refused to supply him one, the offender became argumentative and at some point picked up a glass from a nearby bench.
“Armed with this, the offender approached the victim and smashed the glass into the left side of his head,
with the impact shattering the glass and causing a laceration to the victim’s left ear.”
The teenager was chased by the alleged victim’s friends before being caught by Romano’s Hotel security staff.
Police charged him with affray and breach of bail.
Just 20 minutes after the first attack, a 17-year-old who had been involved in a domestic row smashed a glass on a pole and approached the front of the No 96 wine bar in Fitzmaurice Street where a security guard allegedly saw him kick the door.
The guard confronted the boy and was stabbed in the chest three or four times with the broken glass before he was able to retreat inside the wine bar.
Police called to the scene found the teenager a short distance away. He was charged with several offences, including being armed with intent to commit a serious indictable offence and breach of bail.
Fortunately, neither glassing victim needed hospital treatment, according to Greater Southern Area Health Service.
Cr Pascoe said serious problems were developing with the abuse of alcohol in Fitzmaurice Street and talks were planned between council and police on how to address violence in the lead-up to the new year.
Cr Pascoe said hotel outdoor eating areas were getting out of hand and were becoming beer gardens.
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