A father of two has been killed while working as a food delivery rider in Melbourne’s CBD, after he and another rider were allegedly stabbed by a man they caught tampering with their bikes.
Police were called to the Chongqing Chicken Pot City restaurant in Frederick Way, near the Queen Victoria Market, shortly after 8pm on Friday and found a man, who has since been identified as 47-year-old Jianming Feng, with stab wounds.
CPR was performed, but Feng – a registered HungryPanda food delivery rider – was declared dead at the scene.
A short time later, a second man, aged 34, was found nearby with a suspected stab wound and was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Detectives believe the two riders confronted a man they caught tampering with their bikes and an altercation broke out.
A 51-year-old Footscray man was arrested in Footscray on Saturday morning.
He remains in custody and is expected to be interviewed by police.
Australian Emergency Mutual Aid Association chair Xiaowen Cai said the organisation had moved quickly to locate Feng’s family in China and provide assistance following the tragedy.
“Last night, I broadcasted to our 60k+ WeChat group, [and we] located victim Jianming Feng’s family in China, and guided them on immediate next steps,” Cai said.
“Jianming [Feng] was a Melbourne food delivery driver and his family’s sole provider. Those who knew him describe him as hard-working, gentle, and warm-hearted. He sent money back to China to support them every month.”
Police established two crime scenes about 100 metres apart, and major roads were closed in an area of the city that is home to a large community of Chinese students and tourists.
University student Zeikei Shou, who lives nearby, said that on Friday night, he heard the commotion before arriving to what he described as “chaos”.
Shou said he saw a man running from the scene with a knife.
“Another two delivery guys tried to stop him but one of them fell, and then he was stabbed. He is now in hospital,” he said.
Shou said he was devastated both victims were from China, and called for greater protection for delivery riders, who he said were frequently harassed and assaulted in the CBD.
“One man lost his life, he is a father of two. He has delivered food to me before, I know his face,” he said.
“He is here on a working holiday visa, working really hard. He works really hard every day, delivering food for 10 to 12 hours a day.”
Shou said he believed the victim’s family were travelling from China and expected to arrive in Melbourne on Saturday night.
The incident lit up social media apps, and one user of the Chinese social networking site Rednote claimed to have heard from witnesses to the incident.
“They say a delivery driver went inside to pick up an order and, while he was there, some random guy outside deliberately pushed his e-bike over,” the user wrote.
“When the rider realised and went out to confront him, the other guy suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed it right in his chest.
“This is a huge wake-up call for all of us delivering food in Melbourne.”
Footage seen by this masthead, shows a man in a bicycle helmet and a high-vis vest slumped against a wall in a restaurant in Frederick Way, being helped by a woman, with a trail of blood on the floor in front of him.
HungryPanda, the online food delivery platform, said in a statement it was deeply saddened by the tragic incident.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” the company said.
“We have established a dedicated response team and are actively reaching out to his family to offer the necessary assistance and support.
“The safety and wellbeing of every delivery rider remain among our highest priorities. We are also providing guidance and support to our rider community during this difficult time.”
Police are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.
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