A man wounded four people in a stabbing rampage that was stopped by bystanders who brought the attacker to the ground in a New Zealand city neighborhood yesterday, police said.
Police district commander Naila Hassan said the attack in Auckland was random and the suspect was in custody, adding that there was no indication the attack was a hate crime, as the victims were of different genders, ethnicities and ages.
“This was an extremely fast-moving incident, where our police staff responded quickly, apprehended the offender and prevented further harm to our communities,” Hassan said, adding that all the victims suffered moderate injuries.
Photo: AP
People in the neighborhood began following and surrounding the man after he began his attack, and one brought him down using a walking crutch, Hassan said.
“Members of the public acted with extreme bravery,” she added.
The attack began in the suburb of Murrays Bay and lasted less than 10 minutes, Hassan said.
The man had been carrying a large knife and suffered moderate injuries when he was apprehended, and was hospitalized as a result, she said.
Two violent stabbing rampages at supermarkets occurred in New Zealand last year. One was considered a terror attack, while a judge found no motive for the other.
Last September, a Muslim extremist inspired by the Islamic State group stabbed five people in an Auckland supermarket before police shot and killed him. Three of those he stabbed were critically injured, and two other people were also injured in the melee. All survived.
In May last year, shoppers and staff at a Dunedin supermarket managed to stop a frenzied man from hurting others after he stabbed four people in a random attack, severely wounding three.
The 43-year-old Dunedin attacker was convicted on four counts of attempted murder and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
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