A 22-year-old man has been charged after a stabbing incident hospitalised two Hastings shopkeepers. Photo / Rafaella Melo
A 22-year-old man has been charged after a stabbing incident hospitalised two Hastings shopkeepers. Photo / Rafaella Melo
A father and son working at a suburban Hastings dairy were allegedly stabbed with scissors by a shoplifter who did not want to pay for a pie.
Rohan Patel said his father, Mukesh Patel, was conscious and in a stable condition in Hawke’s Bay Hospital on Friday morning after beingstabbed in the head twice on Thursday afternoon.
Mukesh, the owner of the Kiwi Street Food Market in Camberley, was taken to the nearby hospital in a critical condition.
Rohan, who was stabbed in his left shoulder and abdomen, said the 3pm incident started when a man came to the shop, ate a pie and then wanted to leave without paying.
“Dad went behind him, and he started fighting dad,” he said. “I went to help and was stabbed too.”
They were receiving significant support from locals, with many stopping by, checking in and asking if the owner was okay.
When asked if he felt safe after the incident, Rohan said the Camberley community was a safe one:
“Yeah, we feel all right.”
Rohan Patel says they are being supported by the community after he and his father were twice stabbed with scissors by a shoplifter. Photo / Rafaella Melo
Hastings District councillor Henare O’Keefe said he was saddened over the incident at a store that was a central point of the Camberley community.
“Nothing can justify going into someone’s shop, going into a place that provides a community with a service, and stabbing them.”
He expected the community would rally around the victims and the fact the store was open the next day was an incredible example of “courage and bravado”.
A 22-year-old man was due to appear in the Hastings District Court on Friday on charges of theft, resisting police, and two counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Detective Senior Sergeant Sally Patrick said the alleged offender had fled the scene on foot, before being located nearby and taken into custody a short time later.
A scene examination had been completed at the premises and police continue to make inquiries into the incident.
“Officers have been out in the Camberley community providing reassurance to the community, and will continue to conduct those reassurance patrols in the coming days.
“We would also like to thank the members of the Camberley community who stepped in to support the victims and assist police with locating the alleged offender.”
Patrick said on Friday afternoon that the second victim had been released from hospital.
The alleged offender is due to reappear in the Hastings District Court on May 26.
