A man with a swastika on his forehead who allegedly attacked an Aboriginal woman and her teenage daughter with a makeshift flamethrower has been arrested and charged.
WA Police allege the man, 36, approached the 40-year-old woman and her 15-year-old daughter near Corfield Shopping Centre in Gosnells, south of Perth, last Saturday evening.
They allege he yelled racist slurs at them, before pulling out a can of deodorant and a cigarette lighter to use as a makeshift flamethrower, leaving the mother with minor burns.
The man then allegedly fled, and police called for public assistance in finding him.
“We are treating this as a random and cowardly attack on two people simply going about their daily business,” Detective Senior Sergeant Sean Bell told reporters last week.
“This type of behaviour is not acceptable and won’t be tolerated within the community.”
The man was spotted overnight in Gosnells, south of Perth, and arrested.
He’s been charged with conduct intended to racially harass and committing an unlawful act with intent to harm, and will appear in the Perth Magistrates Court later on Thursday.
GOSNELLS SERIOUS ASSAULT
We’re investigating an assault in Gosnells on Saturday 20 February 2021 are seeking the public’s assistance for information.
You can watch Detective Senior Sergeant Sean Bell’s press conference on Facebook here:https://t.co/VelYX1e8J8 pic.twitter.com/7ohCu2GeHC
— WA Police Force (@WA_Police) February 23, 2021
