WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A man randomly attacked diners at three neighboring Chinese restaurants in New Zealand with an ax, injuring four people, police and witnesses said.
Police said the man started the attack around 9pm on Monday in the north Auckland suburb of Albany.
Police arrested a 24-year-old suspect at the scene and charged him with assault with intent to cause serious bodily harm. The man, a Chinese national, appeared briefly in court on Tuesday. Police did not immediately identify a motive for the attack, but said they had no evidence it was a racial motive.
Auckland City Hospital said on Tuesday that one patient from the attack was there in stable condition. North Shore Hospital said it had discharged one patient with moderate injuries and a second with minor injuries, both in stable condition, and discharged a third patient earlier.
A restaurant patron told the New Zealand Herald newspaper that he was having dinner with a friend when the man came in and started to attack his badly injured friend.
“I was shocked. When I realized what was going on, he tried to target me,” the man, who asked not to be named, told the Herald. “I blocked his ax with my hand. He also tried aiming for my head, so I blocked the ax with my hand.”
The guest said the man with the ax chased them out of the restaurant, then turned around and went to another restaurant.
The Herald published an image of what appeared to be a log-splitter ax lying on the sidewalk.
Surveillance footage released by news website Stuff showed people fleeing one of the restaurants, including one person running backwards, holding a chair as a barricade, followed closely by another person holding a gun.
Police said they expect to press further charges against the man, who they believe acted alone. Police increased their presence in the area around the restaurants on Tuesday.
“We recognize how frightening this incident was for those involved and for the wider community, and we are ensuring that support is available to both the victims and their friends and family,” Inspector Stefan Sagar said in a statement.
During his court appearance, the accused was assisted by a Chinese interpreter. He was under no obligation to file a lawsuit. He was granted temporary name suppression, a common consequence in the New Zealand legal system.
The restaurants the man entered were Yue’s Dumpling Kitchen, Zhangliang Malatang, and Maya Hotpot. They’re part of a group of street restaurants that aim to provide diners with inexpensive options reminiscent of Chinese street food offerings.