A shocking police body camera captured the horrific moment a mentally ill teenager allegedly confronted and stabbed an officer in the driveway of his home.
Moses Thurairajasingam, 18, had his application for bail denied when he appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
He A Cranbourne West teenager allegedly lured police to his home in Melbourne’s southeast by calling triple-zero regarding an aggravated robbery on Tuesday.
Thurairajasingam’s charges They include assaulting an on-duty emergency worker, wilfully causing serious injury, common-law assault and making a false report to police.
Police allege the teen made a false report about being assaulted during an aggravated robbery.
The court heard that officers responded to the scene “believing they were approaching someone who needed their assistance”.
Conflicting footage from the officer’s body camera and security cameras at Thurairajasingam’s home was shown in court on Wednesday.
Body camera footage showed an officer calmly approaching Thurairajasingam before the teen pulled a 13cm knife from behind his back and allegedly stabbed the officer.
The officer, who had been with the police force for 18 months, suffered a 5cm deep wound to his thigh, which required surgery.
Police body camera footage has been released showing the moment Moses Thurairajasingam, 18, allegedly stabbed a police officer at 4.35pm on Tuesday.
Thurairajasingam was denied bail after allegedly stabbing a policeman
About 40 minutes after Thurairajasingam allegedly called triple-0, police arrived and found him standing outside the property.
The officer gets out of the car and is seen approaching the teenager, asking him if he called the police.
Thurairajasingam replied “yes” before allegedly lunging at the officer with the knife.
The officer can be heard screaming in pain and staggering backwards.
“Fuck, I’ve been stabbed,” the officer shouted.
‘Ah, fuck.’
CCTV footage from the home shows another angle of the attack, with the injured police officer managing to get back to his feet.
Police allege Thurairajasingam shouted “shoot me” three times before the injured officer’s colleague ordered the teenager to drop the knife as he wrestled him to the ground and handcuffed him.
“I want to be shot so I can go to heaven,” the teen allegedly told the officer.
The court heard that just hours earlier, the diagnosed schizophrenic had asked his sister if ‘He stabbed someone, would the police shoot me?’
She had dismissed the 18-year-old’s ramblings, unaware that it was an alleged plot he was about to put into action.
An alternative angle captured by CCTV showed Thurairajasingam allegedly holding a knife behind his back moments before he allegedly stabbed the officer.
Thurairajasingam had also been previously diagnosed depression and had been medicated after a seven-week hospital stay in 2021.
Opposing bail, Detective Senior Constable Ashley Hall said Thurairajasingam knew exactly what he was doing when he allegedly “lured” police to his home and had “no remorse for his actions”.
“It was a calculated attack,” he warned.
“He has clearly expressed suicidal ideation and is willing to use other people as a means to an end,” prosecutors said.
“Nothing could mitigate the risk, especially for his family. He could attempt suicide again at the hands of the police.”
His bail application was denied and Thurairajasingam was ordered to remain in custody, where he will undergo psychiatric treatment before his next court appearance on November 22.
The court heard that Thurairajasingam had been living with his family at the time of the attack and had been taking medication for his mental illness.
He had applied for bail in the hope of being released and sent to a secure facility while awaiting his next court date.
Security camera shows the moment the police officer realizes he was allegedly stabbed
Moses Thurairajasingam’s mother refused to answer questions outside court on Wednesday
Moses Thurairajasingam’s family faced a media mob as they left a Melbourne court on Wednesday
Police argued that Thurairajasingam posed a threat not only to them, but to his own family and anyone who encountered him.
“We’re afraid he might stab someone,” the detective said.
The court heard that Thurairajasingam had no history of violence and had never come to the attention of police before Tuesday.
In refusing bail, Magistrate Stephen Ballek accepted that Thurairajasingam was too great a risk to the community to be released.
Judge Ballek He said the alleged crime was “very serious.”
“Not only the stabbing itself, but also the defendant’s actions were calculated and planned,” he said.
Outside court on Wednesday, Thurairajasingam’s family declined to comment on the alleged attack outside their home.
