A SECURITY guard was fatally assaulted while trying to stop an attempted break-in inside the Broadway shopping centre in inner city Sydney last night.
A 28-year-old Maroubra woman and a 33-year-old Randwick man were taken into custody after being arrested with two young children at a bus stop near the centre shortly after the attack, police said.
The couple allegedly fled the centre after the assault on the 68-year-old guard. They were arrested on George Street, near Central railway station, a short time later.
Emergency services were called to the shopping centre on Bay Street, Broadway, about 8:15pm following reports of an assault.
The officers, from Leichhardt and Redfern Local Area Commands, found the security guard on the ground floor of the centre with serious injuries.
NSW Ambulance paramedics took him to nearby Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where he died a short time later.
Detective Inspector Paul Pisanos, from the Leichhardt Command, said the guard was attacked after interrupting the couple. ''It's hard to say at this stage as to what their intentions were but they had certainly gained access to one of the shops after trading hours,'' he said.
Crime scene police sealed off the area and were photographing and fingerprinting the Wendy's ice-cream kiosk, which is situated in the middle of the ground floor.
The couple fled and police had arrested them at the George Street bus stop. Inspector Pisanos said relatives of the pair would be called to look after the children. ''The kids were with them, they're young. They were young kids,'' he said.
Police called for anyone who witnessed the incident, or the events leading up to it, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A report would be prepared for the coroner, police said.
