Police in Australia are working with international law enforcement agencies to track down a man suspected of pouring hot coffee on a nine-month-old baby and then fleeing the country.
The boy, named Luka, was left with severe burns from the attack and has undergone multiple surgeries, according to a GoFundMe page set up by a friend of the family.
The incident happened on Aug. 27 in Hanlon Park in Brisbane, when a mother and her baby were approached by a stranger. The man poured “a hot liquid onto the child, before leaving the scene,” police wrote in a press release.
Security camera footage taken from nearby homes shows a man in a plaid shirt and shorts sprinting through the park and down residential streets immediately after the attack. The footage was shared by police in the hopes that a member of the public could identify the man.
In an update Monday, police shared that they have identified the man believed to be involved. He is a 33-year-old foreign national, police said, though his name was not made public.
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An arrest warrant has been issued for the suspect but he has already fled the country. Police learned his identity less than a day after he left Australia.
Zara Mazza, the organizer of the GoFundMe page, writes that she witnessed the “callous, random attack” on her friend’s baby.
Mazza and her own child were sitting in the park with nine-month-old Luka and his mom when a “strange man came up behind” and “poured a thermos of boiling hot coffee” over Luka’s body. The child was rushed to a hospital for treatment of severe burns.
“He has a long recovery ahead of him which will include further doctors, specialists, (and) hospital appointments,” Mazza writes.
Luka’s mother wrote in a Sept. 1 update on the GoFundMe page that the nine-month-old had undergone two surgeries and was due for a third operation on Sept. 3.
Photo of baby Luka in the hospital with bandages on his face and chest after the Aug. 27 attack.
GoFundMe
“He’s up and about, walking and causing chaos. He is such a strong little boy and we are so so proud of him,” the mother shared.
“We would like to thank each and every one of you for your kindness and generosity during such a difficult and traumatic time for us. We have been blown away by all the support, both with donations and those reaching out with words of encouragement.”
The campaign has raised AUD$156,801 as of Monday morning, far surpassing its AUD$5,000 goal. The funds will go towards medical and household costs for Luka and his family, as well as mental health support for all victims involved, including Mazza, given the traumatic nature of the attack.
“This horrific event should have never happened. Hopefully one day justice will be served,” Luka’s mother added.
Police shared on Monday that Luka has been released from the hospital, but his parents said in a press conference that the child’s recovery will likely take years, Australia’s public broadcaster ABC News reports. The child has undergone “pre-skin graft” procedures and will need further skin grafts on his neck and chest.
“It’s not just those surgeries, afterward it’s laser, needling, massage, making sure movement isn’t affected,” his mother said.
Police have so far found no motive for the attack.
“This is probably one of the most complex and sometimes frustrating investigations I’ve had to be involved in and lead,” Det. Insp. Paul Dalton said during a Monday news conference.
The 33-year-old foreign national alleged to have carried out the attack was identified by police on Sept. 1 — less than a day after he fled Australia on Aug. 31. The man left the country on his own passport and flew out of a Sydney airport, Dalton said.
Dalton added that the suspect was “aware of police methodologies” and had been “conducting counter-surveillance activities.” The man allegedly knew what police “do to find people,” Dalton said.
The man has been in and out of Australia since 2019, living under a visa. He had addresses across Australia’s eastern seaboard.
Police seek to charge the assailant with acts intending to cause grievous bodily harm, a charge that carries the possibility of life in prison.
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