Furniture flung in Christmas cafe fight

A man has been arrested after an argument erupted in a flurry of flung furniture outside The Plaza shopping centre in Palmerston North.

Police were called to Marbecks Cafe at The Square, at 5.30pm on Friday, after an argument between a man and a woman ended with stunned shoppers scrambling to get clear, as the man flipped tables and threw chairs.

Marbecks front of house staff member Lucy Robinson was left shaken by how suddenly an ordinary shift became violent.

Everything seemed normal just a couple of minutes before when the only other staff member on shift left for a break, she said.

‘‘It’s the only time I’ve ever been left here just by myself, and this happens.’’

A customer said he saw a younger man arguing with a woman at the tables outside the cafe and it was clear it was going to get out of control.

‘‘He was seething and looked like he was getting really psycho, but still trying to contain himself,’’ the customer said.

Robinson said the customer had just warned her about what was happening when the man flipped a table over, causing the automatic doors to open. She ran over and locked the door to stop him coming in.

‘‘I watched him throw the table over and try to throw one of the bench seats [at the woman]. Then he was just kicking all the furniture.’’

Robinson then hurried to the shop next door to call security while the customer phoned the police. The customer said everyone in the cafe and on the street outside was trying to keep out of the man’s way until the police arrived.

‘‘He had zero care for his surroundings or anyone else. It was startling how much alarm and panic one very angry man caused.’’

A police spokeswoman said the man was held overnight on a charge of assault with a weapon. He appeared in court on Christmas Eve.