A man who attacked two people on an Auckland bus last night has been identified but not yet caught, police say.
One man died and a second man was seriously injured after they were attacked by the same person in two separate incidents aboard a bus in the east of the city.
The incidents occurred on the number 76 bus travelling from Glen Innes towards Ōrakei around 8pm.
“We believe we have identified the man that is responsible," Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said this afternoon.
"A search warrant was executed this morning and we were assisted by members of the armed offender squad, but we have not located the offender."
He said the man identified was 36-year-old Adrian Pani, and police have obtained a warrant for his arrest.
“He is wanted to arrest for murder and causing grievous bodily harm. Pani should be considered dangerous and should not be approached.
“If you see him or have information about his whereabouts, please call 111, at the earliest opportunity, but do not approach him.”
Asked why the bus driver didn't stop after the initial attack, Baldwin said the driver had since been interviewed by police and likely "was not aware of the significance of the event that occurred".
"He was aware of, certainly, the second confrontation because he's got off the bus at the same time as the second victim and another passenger.
"It's a pretty alarming thing to encounter," he added.
Baldwin said officers were engaging with Pani’s family and said "our absolute priority right now is to arrest Adrian Pani and take him into custody".
"We will continue searching for him. There is absolutely no place in our community for that kind of needless, senseless and unprovoked violence. We are committed to undertaking a thorough investigation, understanding the motive and exactly why this occurred.”
Victims were 'minding their own business'
Baldwin said it was "rare" for there to be no interaction prior to the "senseless, needless" event of violence, but in this case it was completely unprovoked.
"Neither victim did anything to engage, or provoke, or do anything to even acknowledge the offender. In this case, they were minding their own business," he said.
He said police also wanted to speak to two young women who got on and off the bus after the first victim was injured but prior to the second attack. Pani did not interact with them.
"We would like to identify and speak with those young women. The offender showed no interest in them. He was sitting quietly on the bus at that point, and they've gone to the back of the bus and got off the bus before the second altercation occurred."
Earlier, he described the unprovoked attacks as "horrific", and shared a more detailed timeline of the attacks.
He said police established the offender boarded the bus at Apirana Ave in Glen Innes at 7.53pm.
Baldwin said the first assault victim boarded the bus at 7.56pm and travelled a short distance before moving to exit the bus at 7.58pm.
"The only other passenger aboard initiated an attack on the victim, before he could exit the bus near Fenchurch St in Glen Innes,” he said.
During this assault, he said the victim suffered an "unsurviveable" knife wound to the torso.
"The victim, is aged in his 50s, and managed to flee from the bus, before it continued en route.
"An ambulance was contacted and subsequently transported the man to hospital where he has later died from those injuries."
Baldwin said the bus continued, and around 8.09pm, the second victim boarded the bus.
"The second unprovoked assault began when the offender approached the victim, aged 51, at the rear of the bus.
"The offender initiated a fight and quickly produced a knife and assaulted the victim.
"After a short confrontation the second victim managed to flee from the bus, along with another passenger and the bus driver near the bus stop at Coates Ave and Kepa Rd."
The offender eventually got off the bus himself and was last seen fleeing on foot.
Emergency services were called to Fenchurch Street, Glen Innes around 8pm. (Source: 1News)
Baldwin said the victim was taken to Auckland City Hospital with serious injuries to his hand, where he was in a "stable condition".
Earlier today, St John confirmed it sent two ambulances, one critical care unit and one operations manager.
Stabbing victim a 'big-hearted teddy bear'
The man who was fatally stabbed in the incident was a "really nice gentleman", Fenchurch Superette owner Prathul Patel told 1News.
Patel said the dairy opened roughly 47 years ago, and he had known the man for 20-25 years.
"He’s a nice, humble guy, big-hearted. He’s a big unit, you know, but he’s like a teddy bear if you spoke to him," he said.
"I feel sorry for his family and everybody. My condolences go to all of them and hopefully, the community gets together to get over this."
Patel said people in the area would "probably look twice" before catching public transport in the wake of the incidents.
"What other transport can you catch? There’s nothing. Even train stations aren’t that safe when you go to them, some places."
Auckland Transport responds
Auckland Transport's public transport director Stacey van der Putten said the company was "assisting police with its inquiries following serious incidents onboard a number 76 bus service yesterday evening".
"We are very saddened to hear about these incidents, and our thoughts are with the victims, their families and our bus operator staff who was present," she said in a statement.
"Our buses all have CCTV cameras on-board, and we are working closely with police in its investigation.
She said AT was also working with the bus operator to provide support to the driver.
"Passengers travelling onboard our bus, train and ferry services deserve to be safe and feel safe, and we are committed to working with our partner agencies and communities to turn the tide on violence and aggression in our public spaces.
"While these incidents are truly concerning, we want to assure our customers that we have robust safety measures in place across the network."
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