Warning: This article contains a video showing a violent attack
Police have released security footage of an attack on a dairy owner in an attempt to catch a man accused of robbing seven dairies and petrol stations.
The man allegedly robbed a dairy in Ōtāhūhū using a pistol on Wednesday, prompting police to release footage of a 7 July attack.
"We believe this man may also be responsible for up to another seven robberies of dairies and petrol stations across Auckland that have occurred since June," Detective Inspector Fa'amanuia Va'aelua said.
The man was described as Māori or Pacific Islander, with scruffy, bushy black hair and possibly a moustache and goatie beard.
He also had a full arm sleeve tattoo on his left forearm and a 2-3 inch band tattoo on his upper right forearm.
"What we are releasing is footage of a quite sickening assault," Detective Va'aelua said.
"The decision to release this video publicly has not been made lightly.
"We are doing this because during this assault the offender's hoody has slipped and we can see his very distinctive tattoos, his face and his body shape"
Warning: This video contains violence
Police said the dairy staff member in the video had not been seriously injured and the knife the assailant had been carrying had broken.
The attacker was thought to have robbed a petrol station in Ōnehunga about an hour later.
Counties Manukau police said still images of the man had already been published, including on the Police Ten 7 television show, but he had not been found or even identified.
"I want to reassure people that we are doing everything possible to catch this offender, but we need public help," Detective Va'aelua said.