Major incident unfolding at Sydney shopping centre

At least four people are dead and others, including a mother and baby stabbed by a man armed with a knife who has been shot dead by police at a major Sydney shopping centre.

Witnesses say a man was chasing and slashing people with a knife, before the Westfield complex in Bondi Junction was evacuated and locked down.

Four people are confirmed dead and five others have been injured including a mother and her baby who have been rushed to hospital.

It is understood the baby is undergoing surgery and the mother is in a critical condition. 

The knife-wielder has reported been shot by police. 

A witness told Nine News 'the baby got stabbed and, yeah, the mum got stabbed'.

'The mum came over with the baby and threw it at me,' the witness said.

'I just helped by holding the baby and trying to compress the baby.

'(It was) very bad... a lot of the blood on the floor ... hope the baby's alright'.

Police – including the Tactical Operations Unit – and ambulances have attended the scene, with people seen screaming and crying out the front of the complex.

Pictures and videos from the incident have been uploaded on X including one photo showing the alleged attacker casually riding an escalator while holding a large knife.

The man was wearing a green and gold Gallagher NRL Jersey while casually holding the large knife at his side before witnesses claim he started chasing them. 

Paramedics have taken two people to hospital in ambulances so far, while bystanders have seen multiple people outside the shopping centre with blood on their clothes.

A young witness currently locked inside a store - said she has heard gunshots and 'blood-curdling' screams.

'We are absolutely terrified,' she said.

Earlier panicked people were seen running across the pedestrian bridge outside the centre in video posted to social media.

Others said they were being evacuated from the centre's car park. 

Police are attending the scene in numbers. 

Footage of the incident showed the attacker running after large crowds of people as others watched on from the floor above. 

As the attacker closes in one hero dad turns around to stop the man's and protect his wife and two children.

Another video captured one man armed with a small metal pole trying to fend off the attacker.

The shopper was standing at the top of an escalator threatening to throw the pole at the attacker who was on his way up as the two held their ground. 

A Westfield worker said that she saw the screaming mother trying to escape with her baby on the level above her as they were both stabbed.

'She's screaming really, really loudly. She's running back and forth not knowing what to do,' the worker said.

'Then she comes back to the pram and picks up her baby and there's just blood all over her back.

'The scream was unforgettable, it was the scariest thing I've ever seen.'

Eastern suburbs local Ted Helliar posted to X: 'Something just went down at Westfields Bondi junction.' 

'We were up there and all of a sudden all these people running towards us. Next thing dozens and dozens of people all running a screaming some bloke yells "someone is stabbing everyone get out of here".'

Another person whose friend had a daughter in the complex at the time of the alleged stabbing shared screenshots of her messages online.

'We just heard gunshots,' the daughter texted.

'Get to cover,' her parent replied.

'Please, please be safe.' 

Another X user said hundreds of shoppers were hiding in the back of the David Jones department store, which had pulled down its shutters with reports a man had been seen running with a gun in the centre.

A police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday afternoon that a major police operation is under way and officers were gathering details at the scene.

Brianna Skinner warned her friends not to come near the shopping centre while the incident was still active. 

Ms Skinner said that she had seen 'police with machine guns' walking around the halls of the shopping centre and that she had seen 'multiple victims'.