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An Auckland woman has described terrifying scenes when a man armed with an axe and a pole attacked people in three Chinese restaurants on the North Shore last night.
Police have a 24-year-old man in custody and three people are in hospital, one with serious injuries.
The restaurants are in a shopping centre on Corinthian Drive in Albany.
The woman who doesn't want to be named was in the Maya Hotpot and told our reporter Lucy Xia what happened.
The woman says her injured friend is in hospital.
She says the person most seriously hurt was at the nearby restaurant Zhang Liang Malatang.
The third restaurant is Yu's Dumpling Kitchen. Of the three people hospitalised, two in Northshore Hospital are in a stable condition.
A third more seriously injured person is in Auckland hospital, their condition has not been released yet.
The arrested man is due to appear in the North Shore District Court this morning, charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Further charges are expected.
Police are reassuring the public that initial enquiries suggest that it is an isolated incident and are not seeking anyone further in relation to this incident.
Police will be present in Albany this morning as a wider scene examination is conducted, anyone who witnessed the incident is being asked to contact them.