A man has died and two people are fighting for their lives following a stabbing in western Sydney.
The trio were attacked by a man wielding a kitchen knife outside Binas Mini Mart on Merrylands Road, Merrylands, at 10am on Tuesday.
Paramedics treated three people, including a 22-year-old man with neck injuries and a woman, 47, with wounds to her abdomen and chest.
The pair were taken to Westmead Hospital in critical condition.
Another man, who has yet to be formally identified but is believed to be between 30 and 40 years old, tragically died at the scene.
Police said the knifeman had stabbed multiple people with what was believed to be a kitchen knife up to 30cm long before fleeing the area and prompting a brief manhunt.
A man was then arrested on nearby Smythe Street and taken to Granville Police Station.
Police said they have recovered a weapon, though it is unclear if it is the knife understood to have been used in the stabbing.
One person has died and two others have been wounded after a stabbing in western Sydney
The trio were attacked in the suburb of Merrylands at 10am on Tuesday
Paramedics treated three people at the scene, with two left in a critical condition
A crime scene has been established spanning 50 metres along Merrylands Road, where the victims were attacked.
Guildford resident Joseph Ruissi told the Daily Telegraph he saw a man tending to the female victim’s neck in the aftermath of the attack.
‘Blood was pouring down the side of her neck and across her chest and she was coughing blood from her mouth,’ he said.
He said the shopkeeper was trying to staunch the bleeding, adding: ‘She started to slump to the side and you could tell she was dying.’
‘Every second felt like a year. It was absolutely terrible. I just pray to God that whoever survived is going to get better.’
Superintendent Simon Glasser said the incident was ‘highly confronting’.
‘It’s a horrible offence to have taken place in Merrylands just prior to lunchtime with lots of people around,’ he told reporters.
He said there was no relationship between the three victims, who were by themselves on Merrylands Road when the stabbing occurred.
One person, who has yet to be formally identified, died at the scene
‘The alleged offender is known to police for petty crime and a number of mental health incidents,’ Superintendent Glasser said.
‘He is not linked to the address he was located.
‘However, he is a local to the area.’
Supt Glasser said ‘most of his history with us is mental health-related’. He is due to face court on Tuesday.
