Browns Bay stabbing: Woman found in pool of blood after sushi ...
Witnesses have described a woman lying in a pool of blood after she was allegedly stabbed multiple times at a sushi shop in Browns Bay on Auckland’s North Shore.
The “offender responsible” died, police said, while the victim was seriously injured following an assault at Neco Sushi on Clyde Rd last night.
Three people in the area told the Herald they believed the woman had been stabbed and two said they saw someone lying in a pool of blood outside the shop.
Police said emergency services attended following a report of an assault at 5.48pm yesterday.
The victim of the assault was transported to Auckland Hospital with serious injuries.
“The offender responsible for inflicting the serious injuries died at the scene from a self-inflicted injury.”
Police said the victim and offender were known to each other.
“Police are providing support to those affected by this traumatic incident.
“The area is cordoned while inquiries into the circumstances are conducted, but no one else is being sought in relation to the incident.”
A man called Matt told the Herald he had just had a haircut and was getting into his car when he saw people moving towards the Neco Sushi shop, so he went to have a look.
”When I got to the shop this woman was just lying on the ground with a fair bit of blood.”
Matt said the blood was pooling around the woman’s head.
”She was outside the door of the sushi shop lying on the pavement.
“She was not responding but she was moving her legs and she was in pain.”
Matt said two “random people” were assisting the injured woman.
He said there were some construction workers nearby who had blood on their hands.
A restaurant employee near the scene said a customer pulled a knife on a woman in the sushi shop and stabbed her.
Another witness described police sprinting towards the sushi shop from up the road.
”I didn’t see what happened but had heard there was a stabbing. It’s so tragic, this keeps happening every week in New Zealand.”
In a statement shortly after 8pm, police said the offender responsible for inflicting the serious injuries on the woman died at the scene from a self-inflicted injury.
“The victim of the assault was transported to Auckland Hospital with serious injuries.”
Police said the victim and offender were known to each other.
“Police are providing support to those affected by this traumatic incident.
“The area is cordoned while inquiries into the circumstances are conducted, but no one else is being sought in relation to the incident.”
A woman told the Herald she was walking her dog on the beach and had just come up on to the road when she stumbled across the scene.
”We came around the corner from Phoenix Place and saw a person lying on the ground with a few people around them and someone at the sushi shop holding the door.”
Police arrived a short time later armed with a Taser and firearm. About four officers spoke with the man who was holding the door before entering the shop.
“I don’t know where the offender was but when police went in we heard a lot of banging and crashing. And they were there for quite some time.”
The woman said the injured woman was lying on the ground.
”I don’t know how they got injured but there was a lot of blood.
”I don’t think she was responsive but I did see some movement and things got quite frantic.
”A lot of rushing and sending people in different directions. It looked quite serious to me.”
The woman said several ambulances eventually arrived and began treating the victim.
She saw a “pretty distraught guy” assisting the victim.
”He was very upset. It was just horrible.”
The woman also noticed a helicopter overhead as the emergency response unfolded.
Witnesses posted about the incident on Facebook. One man said he was just across the road when it happened.
”It’s not something you expect to see in this country. I feel very heartbroken for the victim. It would have been extremely frightening.”
Another witness said the police had caught the offender after bystanders shut him inside the shop where the incident happened until officers arrived.
”It’s a horrifying scene down there.”
Another poster said that “police went in with guns to get him”.
Earlier a local business owner told the Herald she was on her way home about 6pm when she saw three police cars speeding towards Browns Bay with their emergency lights on.
She said she got home and received a call from her staff saying they could see police officers outside the Starbucks store on Clyde Rd.
Police had blocked the road and were putting up yellow cordon tape.
She immediately instructed her staff to close the shop as a precaution while they awaited further information.
