A large kitchen knife was found at the spot where several people were stabbed this morning in Auckland, New Zealand.
A witness told Stuff that people were shouting and being stabbed at random.
St John’s ambulance service said five people were injured and four of them were taken to Auckland Hospital.
The alleged stabbing man attacked several people in Auckland’s Murrays Bay. (Chris McKeen / Things)
However, police later confirmed that four people were injured and suffered “moderate” injuries.
One person has been arrested by police.
Superintendent Naila Hassan praised members of the public for intervening, saying the incident could have been much worse.
It appeared to be a random attack, with no evidence of hate crime.
Hassan said less than 10 minutes had passed between the police alert and the arrest of the suspect.
Issac Hong, an employee of CafeBayBay in Murrays Bay, told Stuff that there was a woman stabbed at the bus stop in front of her coffee shop.
A knife was found on the road to Mairangi Bay. (Chris McKeen / Things)
Hong said the alleged stabbing man ran to Murrays Bay Beach and attacked a “big Asian couple.”
Hong said witnesses in the area told him that the alleged stabber ran into Mairangi Bay and was chased by construction workers from a nearby workplace.
According to Hong, police were able to arrest the alleged attacker in Mairangi Bay.
A lady on her morning walk with a dog said the construction worker used her crutches to stop the alleged stabbing man.
He saw a man in a hooded sweatshirt coming out of Seaton Road and began stabbing people.
Witnesses say a crutch was used to stop the alleged assailant. (Chris McKeen / Things)
The man chased a 17-year-old girl who shouted, he said.
“We thought she was being a fool, that she was screaming,” he said.
“He stabbed two people, completely at random … everything happened very quickly.”
She was only 20 meters from the man at one point.
“Then he tried to stab another teenager, but she escaped,” he said.
Police said they were still working to confirm the number of injured.
“People are shouting. Everything is going very fast. People are running, and the police were there at the same time with big guns, and at that moment they have someone on the ground,” said local woman Maria Paz Tapia.
Another local in Mairangi Bay said he saw “a few policemen” in the area.
“I saw three or four pass by here towards Murrays Bay and also an ambulance,” he said.
The attack took place on Murrays Bay, on the north coast of Auckland. (Chris McKeen / Things)
Police have made detours around the incident and are asking people to avoid the area.
Mothers who were on the beach with their children to play around 10:30 in the morning said a lady came and told them to go with their children and run.
Just after that, another man ran towards them and shouted the same thing.
“At first I thought it was a tsunami, or something like that because we’re on the beach,” Dianne Hilbourne said.
She had her three-year-old son with her.
“We gave up everything and ran.”
An ambulance, a St. John’s emergency response vehicle and half a dozen officers can be seen by the sea. (James Halpin / Things)
Alexandra Bate was also in the playgroup with her five-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.
“We just ran. Right to the houses where we knew we would be safe. We didn’t know what was going on,” he said.
The group of the mother and her children went out to a safe place when they saw the police arrive.
Hilbourne said he saw a man lying on the ground in the parking lot.
“I think she was one of the victims, I wouldn’t know how to say that,” he said.
“It’s been a day, we thought it was just a day at the beach, you know?”
Local councilor Chris Darby said his “heartaches for the victims’ family and friends and for what they are going through”.
East Coast Bays MP Erica Standford said Murrays Bay was a small community that would feel the impact of the attack. (Chris McKeen / Things)
“I can assure the community that there is no harm to anyone else, the police have arrested the attacker with the help of brave local people,” Darby said, referring to the construction workers involved.
“It’s extremely brave to put yourself at risk like they did.”
East Coast Bays MP Erica Standford said Murrays Bay was a small community that would feel the impact of the attack.
“I’m sure the police have arrested the person of interest,” he said.
National Police spokesman and MP Mark Mitchell said what had unfolded near a normally peaceful beach was “tragic”.
This story first appeared in Stuff and is being republished here with permission.