People forced to flee mall in terror after man shot and reports of multiple stabbings

The terrifying moment shoppers were forced to flee a Syndey shopping center has been caught on camera.

Shortly before 4pm local time yesterday (April 12), a man entered Westfield shopping center, near Bondi Beach in Australia, wielding a knife.

Police have since confirmed that six people have tragically died following the incident at the time of writing, as well as the assailant.

The man - who has not been identified yet - was shot dead by a police officer who was at the scene. He's believed to have been acting alone.

Several others are also said to be in critical condition, including a small child.

It's reported that the child is a nine-month-old baby, but police did not confirm the age of the child in a press conference.

Videos of the moment shoppers fled the scene as their feared for their lives have since been doing the rounds online.

In one clip shared to TikTok by Alex Bayliss (who goes by @bxyliss on the video sharing platform), dozens of people were seen running away from Westfield shopping center as sirens were heard heading towards the scene.

"Scary stuff," Alex captioned the video.

In the wake of the devastating events that folded yesterday afternoon local time, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has penned a statement to X addressing the matter.

"I have been briefed by the AFP on the devastating events at Bondi Junction," he began. "Tragically, multiple casualties have been reported and the first thoughts of all Australians are with those affected and their loved ones."

Albanese went on: "Our hearts go out to those injured and we offer our thanks to those caring for them as well as our brave police and first responders."

Police say that they're currently unsure of any motives the attacker might have had when asked by reporters; but Anthony Cooke, assistant commissioner of New South Wales (NSW) police, did say that they're 'not ruling anything out'.

"This all happened very, very quickly – the officer that was in the vicinity attended on her own, was guided to the location of the offender by people who were in the centre," he told the media.

"She took the actions that she did saving a range of people’s lives; (she was) an inspector, a senior police officer – she was on her own. She engaged immediately on her arrival to the scene.

"I don’t have any indication of any motivation coming from the scene at all."

A critical incident has been declared.