Arrest after six stabbed at west Auckland house

Police cordoned off a property. Photo / Michael Craig

A 45-year-old man has been arrested after a bloody stabbing incident in a west Auckland house last night.

Six people were left with stab wounds, and three of them are now in a stable condition in Auckland Hospital. Police spokesman Kevin Loughlin says another two are still in North Shore Hospital, and a sixth person is now in custody.

The arrested man has been charged with assault, and will appear in the Waitakere District Court tomorrow.

Mr Loughlin says the people involved were all living at the address together and police have not ruled out laying more charges or making more arrests.

Police forensic specialists were examining the scene. Three knives have been taken as evidence.

The call for help last night came from a girl in the house who dialed 111 just before 10pm to desperately cry: "Someone is murdering my dad."

The first police officers on the scene told their colleagues to "send ambulances... there's blood everywhere".

"They all knew each other," said St John Ambulance north communications manager Brett Tobeck. "They were all found at the same address. Someone went crazy in there."

Another St John ambulance spokesman said the emergency call for help had come from a family member. He said it was believed a number of the stabbing victims were from the same family.

A police spokesman said officers were last night struggling to find out what had happened inside the house, in Kingdale Ave in Henderson, West Auckland.

"We are still working through the details but we are not looking for anyone. We're working with people who don't speak English.

"There's been some serious injuries and six people have gone to hospital. Some injuries are very serious."

Neighbour Julie Sterling said she had heard "a lot of screaming", adding it sounded like a "like a pub fight".

The single-storey brick house was last night cordoned and under police guard. Three cars parked outside were registered to people connected to the scene. Addresses ranged from Albany to Rotorua.

A Fire Service spokesman said they were helping preserve the crime scene by providing tarpaulins to shield any evidence.

- with Newstalk ZB