Man Assaults Five People, Sends Them to Hospital, Vienna Police SWAT Team Called In
VIENNA: A violent rampage in Vienna’s Donaustadt district Tuesday evening left five people injured including two police officers after a 30-year old man attacked anyone in his way, forcing residents to barricade themselves inside an apartment until a special police unit intervened, according to “Heute”.
Authorities said the assault began around 6:45 p.m. in a residential complex when the suspect, an Austrian citizen, suddenly turned on his 30 year old partner and her 60 year-old father, beating both with his fists. The woman and her father fled with her young child into a neighbor’s apartment, where the neighbor locked the door and called police.
The attacker, undeterred, pounded on the door and shouted threats to kill everyone inside. When another neighbor entered the stairwell, the assailant turned on him as well, knocking the 70 year old to the ground. Responding officers from the Donaustadt city command found the elderly man bleeding and visibly injured.
Police said the suspect remained aggressive and uncooperative, forcing officers to subdue him with pepper spray before taking him into custody. The door of the apartment sheltering the victims had been so badly damaged that members of Vienna’s elite WEGA tactical unit were called in to force it open and rescue those trapped inside.
Paramedics treated the woman and her father at the scene, after which they were released into home care. The 70 year old neighbor suffered head injuries and was taken to hospital. Two police officers were also injured during the confrontation and had to withdraw from duty.
The suspect now faces multiple charges, including assault, property damage, attempted home invasion, resisting law enforcement, and attempted grievous bodily harm. He remains in police custody as investigators try to determine what triggered the outburst that turned an ordinary Tuesday evening into one of chaos and fear.
