- Matthew Lawson, 25, attacked his colleague
- Trae Black, 29, is fighting for his life in the hospital
A demolition worker has pleaded guilty to attempted murder after severing his colleague’s leg when he ran him over with a car before smashing his head in with a hammer.
The savage attack in City Beach, in Perth’s western suburbs, began when Matthew Lawson, 25, confronted his colleague Trae Black, 29, at a work site on Catesby Road on Monday.
Mr Black fled on foot but Lawson pursued him in a car onto the West Coast Highway, where he ran him over and amputated his leg.
Lawson is then said to have jumped out of the vehicle and hit Mr Black in the face with a hammer, before fleeing the scene.
Pictured: Trae Black, 29, who is currently fighting for his life after his leg was severed in the attack.
Pictured: The crime scene on the West Coast Highway (pictured) at Perth’s City Beach on Monday
Mr Black was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital where he is currently fighting for his life after sustaining serious injuries.
Lawson was arrested near the scene a short time later and faced Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with one count of attempted murder.
Lawson, who appeared without a lawyer, told Magistrate Janelle Scutt: “Yes, guilty” when asked how he wished to plead. Western Australia reports.
Magistrate Scutt asked Lawson if he would like to seek legal advice before pleading guilty, noting that the offence carried a “lengthy prison sentence”, but he declined.
He also rejected the option of conducting psychological and pre-sentence reports or adjourning the matter before entering a plea.
He did not apply for bail and is in pre-trial detention.
The hearing comes as construction workers’ boss ‘Horse’ Elliott revealed new details about the shocking attack.
He said Lawson first showed up at the company’s headquarters on Monday morning looking for Mr Black, before searching for him at the construction site.
“He then came to this workplace (City Beach) looking for Trae… they had an interaction, Trae left and Matt got in the car and chased him,” Elliott told The West Australian.
‘I didn’t realize what happened after he left my office until I saw the carnage on West Coast Highway like everyone else.
“But as I drove down West Coast Highway… I knew exactly what had happened. I had fatalistic intentions in mind.”
A man has been arrested over the alleged incident. Pictured is the van that was allegedly used to run over Mr Black.
Mr Elliott said Mr Black’s leg had been severed by the axle of the silver Mazda BT-250 pickup truck Lawson was driving.
Another employee, who watched the attack unfold, said Lawson, who is just over six feet tall, looked like a “raging bull.”
A retired army veteran, who was one of the first to respond to the scene, said Mr Black was “not doing very well”.
“He was asking for water and was quite alarmed,” he told 9News.
‘I later found the victim’s amputated leg on the shore and put it in a bag and gave it to the paramedics.’
Mr Black underwent emergency surgery and remained in critical but stable condition as of Tuesday.
Lawson is due to appear before the Supreme Court again on August 21.
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