Shocking CCTV footage captures moments before Sydney stabbing rampage

CCTV footage capturing the start of the stabbing rampage that killed one man and left two other people critically wounded has emerged, as a man is refused bail after he was charged with murder and attempted murder over the attack on Tuesday.

Security footage from a Nepalese grocery store on Merrylands Road, Merrylands captures a man dressed in a white shirt, grey trousers and a bucket hat walking towards the counter, stabbing a 47-year-old woman on the neck and fleeing the shop as a worker comes to her aid. A man was also stabbed in the shop.

An additional camera capturing the store’s entry shows the attacker leaving the building, and walking along the footpath before stabbing an unsuspecting male. The victim can be seen clutching his neck and appealing for help from passers-by.

A 38-year-old man was killed in the rampage, while a 21-year-old man was also hospitalised in a critical condition. The woman was rushed to hospital, where she remains in a critical condition.

Setefano Mooniai Leaaetoa, 25, was arrested on nearby Smythe Street, where a knife was allegedly seized, shortly after the alleged attack. Police allege he used a kitchen knife with a 20-30 centimetre blade in the attack.

He was taken to Granville Police Station, where he was charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Leaaetoa was refused bail when he appeared at Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday. The matter will be next heard in court on March 4.

He was known to police for petty crime and mental health incidents, and had absconded from mental health treatment 10 days earlier while being transferred between hospitals.

Witnesses described “harrowing” scenes on Merrylands Road, hearing a terrifying scream, pedestrians sprinting from danger and others rushing to help bleeding victims, as the man allegedly stabbed multiple people with a large kitchen knife before fleeing on foot.

In a statement, Western Sydney Local Health District confirmed a person “alleged to be involved in the incident” was recently a patient receiving acute inpatient care for complex mental health needs 10 days before the alleged attack.

“This person absconded from care while being transferred from Cumberland Hospital to Westmead Hospital emergency department for further medical assessment,” the health district said.

“NSW Police were notified, and contact was made with the patient’s family, but all attempts by [Western Sydney Local Health District] to contact the person were unsuccessful.”

A formal review into the man’s treatment and care will include an external senior psychiatrist, the health district said.

“We also extend our sympathies to the first responders who have been impacted by this incident.”

The alleged rampage spread from one end of the block to another, with the crime scene spanning about 50 metres.

CCTV footage broadcast by Nine News showed the man running along a path next to the train tracks shortly after the alleged attacks. Terrified, a woman pushing a pram in front of him started running to get away before he passed her.

At least one attack occurred outside Bina’s Nepalese grocery store on Merrylands Road, just doors down from Granville MP Julia Finn’s office. Medical equipment and police forensic markers were dotted along the street.

Joseph Roussini, 59, called Triple Zero after hearing a woman “screaming for her life”.

“I could see a man and a lady coming out of the shop, and the man was holding the lady by the neck, and there was blood pouring out of her neck, and he was trying to stop the bleeding,” he said.

“[She] was in a terrible state.”

He said bystanders rushed to help and every “second felt like a year” waiting for paramedics.

One shop owner said he heard a scream and saw people “sprinting” down the street. Another woman, who asked not to be identified, said she saw dark police cars cruising along the street shortly after the incident, with helicopters circling above.

“It was really harrowing,” she said. “I don’t feel safe.”

None of the victims were related to one another.

Riot police scoured the area, marching through gardens and knocking on doors before Leaaetoa’s arrest.

Footage released by NSW Police showed the man, handcuffed and barefoot, being led from the police wagon into Granville Police Station.

Superintendent Simon Glasser said police quickly locked down the area, but it took about 40 minutes to locate the alleged offender.

“It was highly confronting. It’s a horrible offence to have taken place,” Glasser said.

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