Case against teens charged over Adelaide shopping centre stabbing could move to adult court
Two teenagers charged over a stabbing which sent a shopping centre in Adelaide's northern suburbs into lockdown have appeared in court. (ABC News: Simon Goodes)
In short:
Prosecutors will consider applying to have the case against two teenagers charged over a stabbing at a suburban Adelaide shopping centre moved to an adult court.
The teens, aged 16 and 17, appeared in the city's Youth Court today each charged with assault offences and affray.
What's next?
The teenagers are next due to appear in court in January.
An application is "likely" to be made to prosecute two teens in an adult court after they were charged over a violent stabbing in Adelaide's northern suburbs, a court has heard.
The two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, were arrested over a stabbing at the Elizabeth City Centre on Friday, in which two other people suffered "life-threatening" and "critical" injuries.
The 16-year-old from Elizabeth Downs was charged with affray and two counts of causing serious harm, while the 17-year-old from Craigmore was charged with aggravated assault and affray.
Emergency services were called to the northern suburbs shopping centre — that was subsequently placed in lockdown with shoppers evacuated — early on Friday afternoon after a fight broke out between four males just after 2pm.
In the Adelaide Youth Court on Monday, a prosecutor told the court that an application to have the matter moved to an adult court — the District Court of South Australia — would "likely be considered" because one of the accused teenagers was "two weeks shy of his 18th birthday".
Later on Monday, police said they had arrested and charged a third suspect, an 18-year-old from Paralowie, with aggravated assault and aggravated affray.
He was granted police bail to appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court in January.
Neither of the teens charged over the incident at Elizabeth City Centre have applied for release on bail. (ABC News: Simon Goodes)
The Youth Court heard the knife alleged to have been used in the stabbing was located by police in the 16-year-old victim's leg when they arrived on scene.
The prosecutor told the court that the knife struck the teenager's femoral artery which led to "life-threatening injuries".
A second victim, a 20-year-old man, was stabbed in the abdomen and arm.
"His condition was considered critical," the court heard.
One of the accused was arrested at the scene of the stabbing, while the other was arrested at a Craigmore address later on Friday evening.
The prosecutor said CCTV vision captured the fight and showed a "physical altercation" between two groups of people that included "unknown teenagers who were wearing school uniforms".
The two teenagers did not apply for bail and will next appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court in January.