“The security guard grabbed one of those Warehouse wheelie baskets and put it between him and the guy.
“The guy with the knife started yelling ‘I’m going to stab your eyes out’, quite loudly.
“The security guard walked backwards and the guy walked down the same aisle we were, and [the security guard] managed to get him towards the door.
“He had a knife out and pointed it towards one of the female workers and then the security guard pushed him out with one of the baskets.”
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.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.”
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The Warehouse Group decline to comment.
David Williams is an Auckland-based Multimedia Journalist who joined the Herald in 2023. He covers breaking news and general topics.