Food delivery rider dead after stabbing in Melbourne CBD

One man is dead and another is in hospital after an apparent late-night stabbing in Melbourne’s CBD.

Police were called to a restaurant in Frederick Way, near Queen Victoria Market, shortly after 8pm on Friday and found a man with stab wounds. CPR was performed, but the man – a registered HungryPanda food delivery rider – was declared dead at the scene.

A short time later, a second man, aged in his 30s, was found nearby with a suspected stab wound and was taken to hospital.

Police established two crime scenes about 100 metres apart, and major roads were closed in an area of the city that is home to a large community of Chinese students and tourists.

The incident lit up social media apps, and one user of the Chinese social networking site rednote claimed to have heard from witnesses to the incident.

“They say a delivery driver went inside to pick up an order, and while he was there, some random guy outside deliberately pushed his e-bike over,” the user wrote.

“When the rider realised and went out to confront him, the other guy suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed it right in his chest.

“This is a huge wake-up call for all of us delivering food in Melbourne.”

Footage circulating on social media platform WeChat, seen by this masthead, shows a man in a bicycle helmet and a high-vis vest slumped against a wall in a restaurant in Frederick Way, being helped by a woman, with a trail of blood on the floor in front of him.

HungryPanda, the online food delivery platform, said in a statement it was deeply saddened by the tragic incident.

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” the company said.

“We have established a dedicated response team and are actively reaching out to his family to offer the necessary assistance and support.

“The safety and wellbeing of every delivery rider remain among our highest priorities. We are also providing guidance and support to our rider community during this difficult time.”

The man’s death came on the same day that three people were stabbed in Melbourne’s south-east, which sent a nearby primary school into lockdown.

Emergency services were called to a home in Woodlee Street in Dandenong about 11.30am on Friday after three people were found with suspected stab wounds.

The incident resulted in a 28-year-old woman being rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries, while two men, aged 26 and 35, were treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said they were still in the early stages of understanding what had happened, with family violence detectives investigating. They said the three people were known to each other.

Acting Inspector Rebecca Hall said it was too early to confirm many details about the incident, including exactly how the people knew each other, if a weapon had been recovered and whether the incident happened inside the house or outside.

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Alexander Darling is a breaking news reporter at The Age. He has previously worked at the ABC, as well as Horsham’s Wimmera Mail-Times and Triple M radio stations in NSW.Connect via email.