Police are hunting for a group of men after a 40-year-old man was violently robbed in Mangerton on Friday night.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The victim was walking his dog on Woodlawn Avenue, near Payne Street, about 6.30pm when he was struck in the back of the head by a man.
Police have been told he was assaulted by up to four men, before he and his dog were threatened and his wallet stolen.
The man was taken to Wollongong Hospital in a stable condition, suffering injuries to his head and leg. The dog was not injured.
NSW Ambulance paramedics were called to a public housing complex on Myuna Way about 7pm.
Witnesses said the 40-year-old victim stumbled into block 16, badly bleeding from multiple stab wounds to the head, however police would not confirm that.
The Mercury was told he lost consciousness before he was placed in the ambulance, bound for Wollongong Hospital.
As the ambulance pulled away, friends called to the man to “hold on".
A friend, Sean Rowland, said he believed the man was injured during a confrontation in nearby street, and that he then walked to the Myuna Way complex to seek help.
“He got stabbed four times in the head and once in the leg,” he said.
“He’s not breathing. He’s covered in blood.”
The man’s former partner, Tania Cole, was among those who came to his aid.
She said she believed he had been injured in an attempted robbery.
“Seeing his face like that – it’s jealousy,” she said.
“He [the attacker] is jealous because [the victim] is a good looking guy.
“They robbed him because they knew it was his pay day.
“That’s my son’s father – and he’s now in hospital, over robbing him.”
She said the man was homeless and had been couch surfing at the homes of Myuna Way residents.
The attack follows a series of recent violent incidents and deaths in the neighbourhood, Ms Cole said.
“I’m really disgusted in the way Mangerton’s started to become.
“At the end of the day, what happens in Mangerton stays in Mangerton.
“It’s like Fight Club.”
Officers from Wollongong Police District are appealing for any witnesses, or anyone who saw four men acting suspiciously in the area at the time, to come forward.
Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: