He will reappear on December 19 and has interim name suppression until then.
Police swarmed the mall at 277 Broadway following the incident, after a man approached by security guards produced a knife, Detective Senior Sergeant Martin Friend, of the Auckland City CIB, said.
“At this point, we have established they were trying to engage with the man in relation to an earlier incident.”
One witness described seeing a “very antsy guy in a balaclava” run past shortly before the incident, which occurred near the upmarket fashion store Moncler.
She got a “weird vibe” from the man, the woman told the Herald.
The security guard was injured in an altercation with a person being pursued by police, Newmarket Business Association chief executive Mark Knoff-Thomas told Newstalk ZB.
He’d visited the injured man in hospital, Knoff-Thomas said.
“[This] is an awful situation for him and for all of us to be in.”
The Newmarket Security team was dedicated to “keeping our community safe”, he said.
“It was formed with this purpose in mind – to ensure the protection of the precinct’s retailers, businesses and their customers so all visitors can safely enjoy the area. I am proud every day of the work that they do.”
A police officer apprehends a man outside the Moncler store at 277 Shopping Mall on Broadway in Newmarket after a security guard was stabbed. Photo / Andre Dromgool
There was no further threat to the area or public.
“The real issue we have at the moment is that knife crime in Auckland and New Zealand is on the increase and that’s something that concerns me greatly.
“This was an isolated incident but, needless to say, there have been situations in Auckland and around the country where knife crimes have cropped up.”
The criminal charges for knife crime needed another look, Knoff-Thomas said.
“If people are in possession or using a knife, or using a knife as a weapon, the sentencing for those [incidents] needs to be upped massively.”
Epsom MP David Seymour said he was thinking of the “victim of this senseless act, and his family”.
“Newmarket’s security guards are local heroes. They calmly and professionally put themselves in danger every day to protect Newmarket’s businesses and visitors.”
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