A pregnant woman who was allegedly assaulted by a teenager in a shopping centre car park in Perth's south has died in hospital overnight.
The 30-year-old woman, who the ABC is not naming at the request of her family, was hit in the head with a lump of concrete, allegedly thrown by a 17-year-old boy.
The woman, who was sitting in her car when she was allegedly attacked on Tuesday night in the car park of the Waterford Plaza shopping centre in Karawara, went into cardiac arrest and was taken to the intensive care unit at Royal Perth Hospital.
The woman had remained in intensive care since then and passed away in the early hours of this morning, along with her unborn baby.
The victim's family told the ABC on Wednesday they had been told she was unlikely to survive due to her brain being "swollen too much".
Premier Mark McGowan expressed condolences to the woman's family on behalf of the state.
"Can I pass on my sympathies and condolences, I think the sympathies of all West Australians, to the family on the loss of her and her unborn child," he said.
"It's a terrible, terrible shocking event that is indescribable, really."
Vigil held outside hospital
A vigil was held at 8pm last night outside the hospital, with relatives and those known to the victim present.
She is the mother of an eight-month-old baby, and her family said they had been "destroyed" by what had happened.
A 17-year-old boy made a brief appearance in the Perth Children’s Court on Wednesday, charged with grievous bodily harm.
He was remanded in custody.
Police said they believed the boy was one of about 15 youths who had gone to the shopping centre "looking for trouble" and had become involved in a melee in the car park.
Officers described the attack as "unprovoked" and "senseless violence".
Police returned to the scene yesterday as part of their investigation.
Shopping centre management 'shocked'
In a statement, the owners, management and tenants of Waterford Plaza expressed their condolences to the woman's family and said her death had "shocked everyone who works and operates at the centre, as well as the broader Karawara community."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who knew and loved [her]," they said.
They said security staff, tenants and customers had tried to help the woman on Tuesday night, and had assisted paramedics.
"Waterford Plaza is working closely with the WA Police as they continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this tragedy," the statement said.
