13-year-old arrested after trolley thrown from Chatswood shopping centre injures man

A 13-year-old girl was arrested after allegedly throwing a shopping trolley over a railing at a Chatswood shopping centre on Monday, striking a 59-year-old man on the ground floor, New South Wales police said.

The incident occurred at about 11:50 a.m. at the Victoria Avenue centre on Sydney’s lower north shore. Paramedics treated the man for head and facial injuries and transported him to Royal North Shore Hospital in a stable condition.

Police said the teenage girl was taken to Chatswood Police Station, where she assisted officers with their inquiries. The trolley was seized from the scene and will undergo forensic examination.

Photographs from the centre showed what appeared to be spots of blood on the ground a few metres from the trolley, which was lying on its side. A section of the shopping centre was cordoned off while officers spoke with bystanders and carried out initial enquiries.

Emergency services attended the scene after witnesses reported the trolley being thrown over a railing. New South Wales Ambulance personnel treated the injured man at the centre before he was taken to hospital. Police said his condition was stable following treatment.

Authorities have not released any further details about charges. Police said inquiries are ongoing as they examine the circumstances surrounding the incident and the results of the forensic analysis of the trolley.

The matter has drawn attention from shoppers who were at the centre at the time; footage and images circulating on social media showed a police presence and the cordoned area. Police urged anyone with information to provide it to investigators as they continue their enquiries.

The investigation remains active and police will determine whether formal charges will be laid following the completion of forensic and witness inquiries.