Dev Patel witnesses stabbing in Australia

Dev Patel was a witness to a stabbing in Adelaide, Australia.

The Slumdog Millionaire star was witnessed trying to "de-escalate" a fight between a couple before a man was stabbed shortly after.

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Representatives for the actor released a statement about the incident which read: "We can confirm that last night, in Adelaide, Dev Patel and his friends witnessed a violent altercation that was already in progress outside of a convenience store. Dev acted on his natural instinct to try and de-escalate the situation and break up the fight. The group was thankfully successful in doing so and they remained on site to ensure that the police and eventually the ambulance arrived."

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The statement continued: "There are no heroes in this situation and sadly this specific incident highlights a larger systemic issue of marginalized members of society not being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve."

They concluded by saying: "The hope is that the same level of media attention this story is receiving (solely because Dev, as a famous person, was involved) can be a catalyst for lawmakers to be compassionate in determining long-term solutions to help not only the individuals who were involved but the community at large."

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South Australia Police also released a statement regarding the stabbing: "A woman has been arrested following a stabbing incident in the CBD [Central Business District] last night. About 8.45pm on Monday 1 August, police were called to Gouger Street after reports of a man and woman fighting in the street. The couple continued fighting inside a nearby service station where witnesses attempted to break up the fight."

The police added: "The woman then allegedly stabbed the man in the chest. A 32-year-old man from Glengowrie was treated at the scene by ambulance officers before being taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. His injuries are not considered life-threatening."

Patel, who rose to fame with starring role in Skins, has gone on to appear in films such as Lion, Hotel Mumbai and The Green Knight.

He received an Oscar nomination in 2017 for his performance in Lion.