Victoria Police have confirmed a 38-year-old man is expected to be charged on summons after he allegedly waved scissors close to parishioners taking part in a Good Friday Epitaphio procession on May 3 at the St George Greek Orthodox Church in Thornbury, Victoria.
Eyewitnesses reported that the man was allegedly waving scissors close to women and children, before he was tackled by brave parishioners who managed to subdue him until police arrived.
Victoria Police told The Noticer that the man was located on David Street with scissors, and that he was spoken to and assessed by police after being observed behaving erratically.
The incident frightened many parishioners who took to social media to share their experiences.
“…left my 13-year-old in bloody tears from fear and wanted to go home. Wasn’t pleasant,” one parishioner wrote on social media, adding that the man appeared to be an “outsider” and not an attendee at the Greek Orthodox church.
“We were there and it was extremely scary. Especially for all our little children,” another parishioner wrote.
Victoria Police confirmed that no-one was hurt or threatened by the scissors incident.