Man taken into custody after stabbing several in downtown Sydney

Police investigate the area around a crime scene after a man stabbed a woman and attempted to stab others in central Sydney on August 13, 2019, before being pinned down by members of the public and detained by police. Police said the woman was in a stable

Australia: A man was taken into custody by the police on Tuesday morning after he went on a killing spree in downtown Sydney. The police informed Sydney Morning Herald that multiple people were stabbed by a knife-wielding man at King Street and Clarence Street in Sydney's Central Business District before he was overpowered by passersby and handed over to the police. The authorities urged people to avoid the area in the aftermath of the incident. "About 2 p.m. local time, emergency services responded following reports a man was walking along York Street, Sydney, armed with a knife," the police said in a statement.

"As police made their way to the location, there were multiple reports the man had stabbed someone near the corner of King and Clarence Streets," the statement read. "Police and NSW Ambulance paramedics located a woman inside a hotel, who had a stab wound. She has been taken to hospital in a stable condition," it added. The statement further read that the accused was arrested by the police and was "taken to Day Street Police Station."

People look out from the interior of a hotel as police not pictured investigate the crime scene outside after a man stabbed a woman and attempted to stab others in central Sydney on August 13, 2019, before being pinned down by members of the public and detained by police. Photo: AFP

According to the news agency, ANI, witnesses on Twitter reported seeing multiple police cars and ambulances arriving on the scene. The police are still conducting proactive patrols the area, but police say they believe there is no further threat to public safety.

With inputs from ANI

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