Police have issued an urgent plea for public assistance to find a man responsible for stabbing three people in Sydney and two armed hold-ups at Newcastle Service Stations.
Police say the man entered a gym on Pittwater Road at Brookvale just after 8.00pm last night and appeared agitated and aggressive.
He approached four men and a trainer, punching one of them before producing a knife and stabbing the three men.
The three men were taken to Royal North Shore Hospital - one has undergone surgery while the other two are in a stable condition.
The trainer escaped injury.
The man then fled in a stolen car.
Then, at about 9.45pm, the man entered the Metro Service Station on Sandgate Road at Shortland to fill the Black BMW with fuel.
It's alleged he threatened a 38-year-old female employee and forced open the cash register with a knife before fleeing in the car with cash.
About 10 minutes later he entered the Mobil on Maitland Road at Sandgate where he jumped the counter, threatening two male employees with the knife - he was handed some cash and got back in the car.
Officers responding to the armed hold-up noticed the car leaving the service station and gave chase but it managed to evade police.
No-one was injured during the robberies.
Police say the vehicle is a black BMW with the NSW registration number DKK 39Q.
The man is described as being of Caucasian appearance, 168 centimetres tall with a full beard and aged in his mid to late twenties. He was last seen wearing black shorts and a light coloured T-shirt.
Detective Acting Inspector Geoff Little from Newcastle Police says people should not approach the man but contact Triple-zero immediately.
"This fellow is armed and dangerous...he's stabbed three people and at this stage he's committed two armed robberies and we certainly urge any person with information to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers", he said.
