The Warehouse New Lynn went into lockdown earlier this week when a man pulled a knife and threatened a security guard.
The Warehouse New Lynn went into lockdown earlier this week when a man pulled a knife and threatened a security guard.
An Auckland branch of The Warehouse went into lockdown after a man pulled a knife and threatened a security guard.
A customer told the Herald he had been shopping with his wife in the New Lynn store at 7.30pm on Tuesday when the incident unfolded.
The man, who wished toremain anonymous, saidhe saw a security guard approach someone who had been eating something from the shelves.
“The security guy said to him, ‘You’ve got to pay for that’, and then all of a sudden, this guy pulled a knife out on the security guy,” the man told the Herald.
The Warehouse New Lynn went into lockdown earlier this week when a man pulled a knife and threatened a security guard.
After the incident, the staff kept all the customers inside the store, locked the doors and called the police.
Officers arrived 35 minutes later, spoke to the security guard, checked the cameras and then confirmed it was safe for customers to leave, the man said.
“It was quite scary. It was not the sort of situation I would like to see anyone in.”
However, he had nothing but praise for the way the security guard handled the incident.
“He was so calm. From what I could see, he had the big crate between him and this guy and managed to shuffle him out the door away from our harm’s way and the staff members,” he said.
“We were just locked in. People were turning up outside and staff members were banging on the doors and saying get in your cars and go.”
Waitemata Police Inspector Kelly Farrant told the Herald police attended a New Lynn retail store on Tuesday evening after a customer refused to pay for an item he had consumed inside the store.
“During this interaction, he refused to comply with staff, and a small knife was seen in the man’s hand.”
She said police were called and found a 31-year-old man in the nearby area.
“He was spoken to and trespassed from the store. Officers confiscated the small knife.”
