Briefly:
Police are investigating a highway crash in Beach City that left a 29-year-old man with his leg severed.
A 25-year-old man, known to the alleged victim, has been arrested.
What then?
The hammer allegedly used in the attack has not yet been found, and police are appealing for information from the public.
A man lost a leg and another was arrested after an assault that closed a busy highway in Perth’s western suburbs.
Warning: This story contains images that some readers may find disturbing.
Police were called to West Coast Road near Boulevard in City Beach at about 11:20 a.m. Monday, after reports of a disturbance.
It is believed that two men were involved in a verbal altercation at a nearby construction site.
Police said a 29-year-old man fled the area but was chased by a 25-year-old man in an SUV.
Superintendent Manus Walsh said there were many details about the incident still unknown.
“It is likely that the victim was hit by the vehicle and then a secondary assault occurred by the offender using a hammer,” he said.
Police say the victim may be dead.
Emergency services found a 29-year-old man with serious injuries to his head and leg.
He was taken to Royal Perth Hospital, where he remains in a critical condition and is expected to undergo surgery.
“The victim had an amputated leg, the lower part of his leg,” Superintendent Walsh said.
“He also had some injuries that we believe were caused by the use of a hammer.”
Two members of the public, one of them an off-duty doctor, stopped on the highway and applied a tourniquet to the man’s leg.
“Had the victim not received medical assistance from witnesses at the scene, he likely would have lost his life,” Superintendent Walsh said.
Men know each other
Police were able to locate the 25-year-old driver nearby and arrested him shortly after arriving at the scene.
“Within 14 minutes of reporting the call to police, we had a criminal in custody,” Superintendent Walsh said.
“The two men knew each other… We are still investigating what the true relationship was.”
The hammer allegedly used in the assault has not been found.
Aerial photos from the scene showed a large pool of blood and debris in the southbound lanes of the Western Freeway.
Further down the road, a silver car crashed into a cliff on the side of the road.
Police were seen patrolling the woods and closing roads leading to the beach.
The busy West Coast Highway was closed in both directions between Hill Road and the street.
Police have asked anyone with information to contact the Crime Stoppers team.
download
