A 14-year-old Melbourne boy has died after being stabbed multiple times in a random street attack caught entirely on CCTV footage.
Braybrook teen Ethan Hoac was walking from Ginifer Railway Station in St Albans with two friends when an SUV pursued the group down Bailey Street.
The vehicle reportedly hit Hoac before two men jumped out, armed with knives. They proceeded to stab the teen multiple times.
Hoac’s friends fled the scene and called emergency services. Hoac was rushed to the nearest hospital but sadly died in transit.
In an official statement, Detective Inspector David Dunstan said police were “undertaking a very extensive CCTV canvas of the area”.
“We have no information at this stage that it’s gang-related, but we believe this was a targeted assault on the victim,” said Dunstan on Tuesday.
“We don’t know the relationship at this stage, but the victim and his friends were walking on the street when this vehicle came as a surprise from nowhere … The fact that the cars stopped, turned around and approached, we believe that they have been specifically targeted.
“Any incident involving knives and fatal injuries to victims of this age is concerning.”
Per the Herald Sun, tributes for the teen have been flowing. One of his friends, Chrissy Tran, told the publication that she has continued to text Hoac’s number despite knowing he is gone.
“Ethan was the funniest person I knew, he’d always spread positive energy and always tried his best to stay out of trouble,” she said.
“He was the first responsible, respectful and funny boy I’d ever met.
“It hurts me to see his life taken so early because he was my brother, not by blood but by heart.”
Police are urging anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000.
