Man arrested after brandishing knife at customers in Nelson KFC

A man has been arrested after he reportedly brandished a knife at customers in a KFC store in Nelson this evening.

A police spokesperson said they responded to a reported assault at a commercial premises in Tāhunanui Drive at 7.27pm.

One person has been arrested and inquiries are ongoing.

The owner of a neighbouring business told the Herald a man carrying a large kitchen knife was caught on their security camera as the suspect walked past their store.

One person who commented on Facebook said: “My mum was in there at the time and a guy came in waving a very large knife in everyone’s faces. They had to call police and when [he] ran out, they all got locked in. Free chips though.”

Another person commented “Actually 4 people attacked another customer. It gave all the customers and staff a fright.”

A KFC spokesperson said the company is aware of an incident that took place at its Nelson store.

“Thankfully no customers or staff were injured and the police were called immediately,” the spokesperson said.