A teenage boy has been charged after a female ride share driver was viciously stabbed in the head.
A 16-year-old Upper Coomera boy was charged with one count each of acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm, armed robbery and deprivation of liberty following the alleged attack at a Gold Coast shopping Centre.
He is due to appear in the Southport Children’s Court on Thursday.
Emergency services were called to Coomera Westfield Shopping Centre on Foxwell Road, on the Gold Coast, about 1.25am on Wednesday.
A security guard had found a semi-conscious Uber driver, 32, with multiple stab wounds to her head, neck and back, Queensland Police said.
The alleged offender was described as a man in his late teens or early 20s, with dark hair and wearing a light green t-shirt and gray tracksuit pants.
Police allege he had booked the rideshare from Hope Island to the Coomera area, roughly a 15-minute drive.
The trip was booked under a name and police have conducted inquiries into that.
Emergency services were called to Coomera Westfield Shopping Centre on Foxwell Road, about 18km north of Gold Coast, around 1.25am on Wednesday
‘We’re still ascertaining who that passenger was… Our investigation shows there was just one passenger in that vehicle,’ Detective Inspector Paul Fletcher said on Wednesday.
The driver was transported to Gold Coast University Hospital, where she remained in a critical condition.
When asked if the woman had been lying in her car, injured, for a long time, Det Insp Fletcher agreed.
‘Our investigations say that she was there for an hour or two before being discovered by the security guard,’ he said.
‘This is an isolated incident and the public should always be aware of their surroundings but they shouldn’t be concerned about this action.’
Det Insp Fletcher said initial inquiries suggested the driver and passenger had no connection, adding officers were following up on whether it was a ‘random’ attack.
‘I don’t there’s any concern about the actual rideshare processes. This… had nothing to do with the actual rideshare company,’ he said.
‘Any type of violent attack is a shock for the community and for the family, but they are getting assistance from the police.’
Queensland Police said they had received reports that a 32-year-old woman had been stabbed ‘multiple times’, including to her face, neck and spine
Uber said it was shocked and saddened by the horrific incident.
‘This appalling act of violence is unacceptable and has no place on Uber or in society, no one should be subjected to such harm,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail.
‘We are keeping the driver in our thoughts as she receives urgent medical care, and are reaching out to her to offer our support. Our Public Safety liaison team is actively assisting the Queensland Police with their investigation.’
It’s understood the rider’s access to their Uber account was suspended immediately after the rideshare company was contacted by police.
A crime scene was established and investigations remain ongoing.
A white SUV was driven onto a tow truck on Wednesday morning before it was taken away from the scene for forensic analysis.
Police pleaded for any witnesses or anyone with footage of the Foxwell Road area in Coomera between 11pm and midnight on Tuesday night to come forward.
Anyone with information has been told to contact Policelink on 131 444.
