‘I wasn’t sure who was who’
Emergency responder left shaken after stumbling on bloodied machete-attack suspect
ATaieri Mouth man has described coming across the man alleged to be responsible for a bloodied machete attack which left a man’s hand “just” hanging on yesterday.
Taieri Mouth First Response team member Allan Gorton was second on the scene of the attack at a Taieri Mouth property which left one man in a serious condition in Dunedin Hospital and a 33-year-old man in custody.
“I arrived and someone was lying on the ground, I wasn’t sure at first who was who or what had happened.”
He had been left shaken after discovering the man lying on the front lawn with blood on his face was the alleged attacker rather than the victim, he said.
Emergency services arrived quickly after he did, and Gorton said he did not see the injured man.
Clutha-Taieri area response manager Senior Sergeant Al Dickie said Dunedin and Balclutha police were called to the incident about midday after receiving reports a man’s hand had been cut off with a machete.
“It seems there was some domestic overtones to it, that the parties knew each other and things got a bit heated and went from bad to worse.”
The attacker was on the lawn when police arrived, Dickie said.
“There were police dogs and [police] were armed so he wasn’t going to argue with that.”
Police directed traffic past the property on Taieri Mouth Rd as an injured man was taken from the property and a female occupant of the property stood crying on the balcony.
Dickie confirmed the woman was inside at the time of the attack.
A St John spokesman said the patient was transported from the property by ambulance to a nearby location and then flown by rescue helicopter to Dunedin Hospital.
Taieri Mouth resident Chris Knight said the incident was “out of the ordinary” for the seaside town.
“I’ve lived in the area 20 years and we have a very . . . quiet and respectable neighbourhood.”
Late yesterday a police spokeswoman said no charge had been laid against the man. Otago Daily Times