One man was killed and two others seriously injured in an “indiscriminate” stabbing on a busy suburban thoroughfare. sydney, police Said.

Officers arrived at the scene in Maryland, about 15 miles west. sydneyat 10 a.m. in the central business district to respond to reports of a man stabbing multiple people and then fleeing the area on foot.

The man was later arrested on a nearby street and taken to Granville Police Station, police said.

Two of the victims were stabbed inside a store on Main Street, while the third was attacked outside on the street.

One of the victims, a man in his 30s or 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene. Paramedics treated two other people with serious injuries, a 22-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman, who were then taken to hospital in critical condition.

Superintendent Simon Glasser said a knife approximately 25 centimeters long was used in the stabbing.

“The investigation is in the very early stages. Police do not know a motive at this time, but it appears to have been a random attack,” Glasser said at a news conference.

“The alleged offender is known to police for petty theft and numerous mental health incidents,” he said. “He has no connection to the location address. But he is a local to the area.”

Glasser said the victims were alone on Maryland’s Road at the time of the incident and that the three victims were not related.

He said there were many people in the area at the time of the attack.

“This is a frightening criminal act that occurred in the presence of a large group of people in Maryland just before lunchtime,” Glasser said of the “very confrontational” scene.

“It’s so heartening to see members of the community come out and help other members in immediate need.”

Witnesses said they heard screams and then a large number of police, helicopters, ambulances and police cars arrived at the scene.

“I went outside to see what was going on and I saw a lot of people, like a big crowd. Then there was just a woman in front of the store… and there was just a little bit of blood on the floor,” a witness told ABC News.

Another witness said he saw a woman come out of the convenience store with a neck injury.

Joseph Russini, 59, said he called emergency services after seeing the woman “screaming for her life”, the newspaper reported. sydney Morning Herald. “I saw a man and a woman come out of the store. The man was holding the woman by the neck to stop the bleeding,” he said.