CCTV footage released to 1 NEWS has captured the moment a customer turned violent at Auckland's Sylvia Park mall yesterday afternoon.
While it's unclear what fuelled the incident, the footage shows a man confronting staff at Poké Bar, in the popular mall's food court.
Joel Stirling, who owns the store, said the man called a staff member a "fa***t" before throwing his food and a call bell at him.
"The mall is supposed to be a safe environment to work within and they are behind a counter," Mr Stirling said.
While no one sustained serious injuries in the incident, Mr Stirling said staff are too afraid to return to work.
"This sort of behaviour is not acceptable within any shopping mall," he said.
Police were called a short time after the incident.
Sylvia Park's Centre Manager Susan Jamieson said, "Security responded immediately and provided support".
"We view this as an isolated incident."
By the time police arrived, the alleged offender had left the scene and was no longer in the area.
Police are following up on the incident and are making enquiries.
Written by - Andrew Macfarlane.
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