Knife attack rocks shopping mall

A transport worker was stabbed by a teenager inside a shopping centre.

The 60-year-old bus security officer was patrolling bus stops in Robina Town Centre on the Gold Coast when he was stabbed in the hip at around 1pm on Wednesday.

Paramedics treated the man inside the mall before taking him to Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition.

The man’s injuries were described as non-life-threatening.

There was a heavy police presence on Wednesday afternoon with numerous officers and detectives inside the centre and blue curtains blocking shoppers’ access to the scene.

A police spokesman said officers arrived at the mall at around 1pm to find the man, but initial investigations suggested the attacker had fled.

Investigations into the incident are continuing.

Police are reportedly investigating whether the attacker had followed the 60-year-old man into a passageway between the car park and the shopping centre, where staff toilet facilities are located.

The security officer is known to have been heading to the bathroom while on a break.

The mall described the area as a “non-public” area.

Witnesses reportedly described how a young teenager allegedly attacked the man before fleeing.

Martin Hall, executive general manager of Kinetic Buses South East Queensland and Tweed Heads, said the incident was “deeply distressing”.

“Kinetic is providing full support to (Queensland Police) and our team members following the assault on a network officer in Robina town centre,” he told the Costa Dorada Newsletter.

“This is a deeply distressing incident, everyone has the right to be safe at work and the welfare of the network officer involved is our absolute priority.”

The incident is the second serious attack on a bus worker in five months.

In May, a 68-year-old Kinetic bus driver was assaulted on the Gold Coast and suffered a broken ankle.

Three teenagers were charged as a result of the incident.