Constable, 25, battling ‘serious head injuries’ in Sydney hospital after alleged late-night assault on Enmore Road
Two men have been arrested as police investigate an alleged attack that left two off-duty police officers in hospital in Sydney.
Police said the officers, both 25-year-old male constables, had been walking along Enmore Road in Newtown after attending a concert when they approached three unknown men in their 20s who were arguing.
“The two off-duty officers were assaulted with one of them knocked to the ground and repeatedly punched and kicked to the head,” a police spokesperson said.
“The CCTV footage shows a group of men attacking an officer that is on the ground and another officer,” Supt Despa Fitzgerald told media.
Police said they were called to the brawl at about 11pm and found a “25-year-old man unconscious on the roadway”.
An off-duty nurse performed CPR on the off-duty officer until paramedics arrived and took him to Royal Prince Alfred hospital, where he remained in a serious but stable condition.
Fitzgerald said the man had sustained “serious head injuries” and the outcome may have been “something more serious” if bystanders had not rendered CPR.
“The officer was unconscious for some time, without their assistance we may be talking about something more serious … anything could have happened,” she said.
“I met with the family of the officer … at hospital this morning, they were obviously distressed to have to come to a hospital to give support to their son … thinking [he] was going out for a night out and this ended up occurring.”
The second officer, also 25, suffered facial injuries and was also taken to hospital for treatment but had since been discharged.
Fitzgerald said the alleged attack that rendered the officer unconscious was over in a “matter of minutes”.
The three men reportedly ran from the scene before police arrived, with two allegedly fleeing on foot towards the Enmore Road precinct and one heading towards King Street.
Following inquiries, police arrested two men – aged 18 and 20 – at a home in Mascot on Thursday afternoon.
Police said inquiries were continuing.
The New South Wales police minister, Yasmin Catley, said the two off-duty officers were “out enjoying themselves in a vibrant part of the city” before the alleged “dangerous attack”.
“We do not want this on our streets,” she told reporters on Thursday.
Catley urged anyone with information to come forward to police.
“It’s a very busy area where this offence occurred,” she said. “It’s very early in this investigation … [but police] know that there will be dashcam footage, CCTV footage, indeed people with their cameras videoing.”
Catley thanked bystanders who rendered medical assistance until the ambulance arrived, describing their help as “life-saving events”.
“We have such gratitude for you coming in and helping those officers who were injured, particularly that officer with those crucial injuries,” she said.
“These are really life-saving events that took place by them and we are so thankful.”
