A knife-wielding man has been caught on camera slashing a Tesla in Brisbane, sparking fear among commuters and calls for increased security at major transport hubs.
Incident at Eight Mile Plains
Security footage from the Eight Mile Plains park-and-ride shows a hooded man scanning the area before drawing a large knife and dragging the blade along the Tesla, even stabbing at its tyres. The car's owner, a mother with a one-year-old daughter, witnessed the terrifying attack unfold in real-time through a phone app.
“I was terrified, I was crying and I started to feel like I shouldn’t be here alone,” she told 7NEWS.
Mother's Account
The mother had been at the car park earlier caring for her baby when she noticed a man in a van watching her for 15 minutes. “He was staring at me and then when I look back to him, he kept looking to me like in a very strange way,” she said.
The mother said she was already on edge after a recent case in Townsville where a car was stolen with a newborn inside. “So I took (my child) from the car and said, if you want the car, you can just go, but my baby is going to be with me,” she said.
Security Footage Released
Security footage from the Eight Mile Plains park-and-ride shows a hooded man scanning the area before drawing a large knife and dragging the blade along the Tesla. Credit: 7NEWS
Since going public with her ordeal, other women have come forward with claims of their own encounters with the same man in the same car park.
Demands for Better Security
The mother is now demanding stronger protections at major transport hubs, including increased security patrols and emergency phones that summon help at the press of a button. “I feel unsafe, like no one was there,” she said.
Transport and Main Roads was sought for comment.
