Rohen Andrews, 41, was one of several members of the public being hailed as heroes after they tried to disarm a woman who is accused of stabbing four people, including her five-year-old daughter.

Superintendent Craig Jackson, commander of the Port Stephens-Hunter Police District, praised the public's intervention before police arrived at Salamander Bay Village.

"They took actions before police arrived to lock this [allegedly] violent offender inside a grocery shop. I think the public have done really well to intervene."

The woman was charged by Port Stephens police with 11 offences late on Tuesday including four counts of armed with intent to commit indictable offence, three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and one count each of wound person intend to cause grievous bodily harm, affray, assault police officer in execution of duty and resist or hinder police officer in execution of duty. She made a brief court appearance and was refused bail.

Mr Andrews, who left hospital on Monday after radiation treatment, was alerted to a woman allegedly holding knives and running down Soldiers Point Road by his partner Rebecca Wallis, who had been driving down the street.

"I came home and grabbed my phone to call the police," Ms Wallis said. "As soon as Rohen heard there was a child involved he was straight out the door."

Mr Andrews broke down as he spoke to the Herald about the incident.

"I made my way down to the woman and that's when I saw she was coming up at me," Mr Andrews said.

"All I had was the chair I had taken from the fish and chip shop, so I sort of put that in front of me."

Craig Pickette, who also lives on the road, said he heard his dog "going mad" and came out the front of his house.

"There was a little girl running across the road, screaming. That's the first thing I saw," Mr Pickette said. "All the traffic had stopped.

"I saw Rohen and the woman and at first I thought he was attacking her and then I thought I better get out there and sort that out.

"I said 'Mate, calm down'. And he yelled, 'Look out!'"

"I was two metres away from her ... it was terrifying."

Mr Pickette said that after running from the woman he turned around to see her start moving towards the shopping strip on the road.

"I noticed there was so many people at the grocery store and at the bottle shop. I just ran 10 or 15 metres behind her, yelling "Get out of the way, get out of the way."

When the woman entered the Friendly Grocer, the two staff members inside locked themselves and three customers into a storeroom at the back of the shop.

According to Mr Pickette, he then helped close the main door of the supermarket.

"There were three of us holding the door. She ran at it a few times," he said.

Ms Wallis described her partner's actions confronting the assailant and warning passersby as "selfless". The pair are set to get married in two weeks.

"I know he's a great guy but even I am blown away by what he did," she said. "He just got out of hospital on Monday after six weeks of radiation."

Tianna Gibbons, 17, of Anna Bay, who works in a store on the Salamander Bay shopping strip said she was "shocked" when she heard about what had happened just hours after she had finished her Tuesday shift.

"I didn't think this kind of thing happened in a small country town like this," she said.

"It just kind of opens your eyes to how caring everyone here is. I know there's a lot of people here that would everything to help others."

Many people came into store on Tuesday to offer their support to staff members who had witnessed the event.

One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, left a bunch of wattle flowers on the counter.

"We all support each other. This family works here seven days a week and employs local people. We couldn't do without this little store," she said.

Superintendent Jackson said officers arrived at Salamander Bay Village "within minutes" of receiving reports of woman armed with a knife having stabbed a number of people.

It is understood the woman, allegedly armed with a knife, had been walking along Soldiers Point Road with her daughter about 5.40pm.

Police will allege that the woman got into the back-seat of a car, which was stopped at the intersection of Scott Circuit, and occupied by a 45-year-old man and his 15-year-old daughter.

The woman allegedly stabbed the man with the knife, which was covered by a protective sheath, causing minor lacerations to his shoulder.

The man attempted to drive away, and the woman got out of the car and walked with her child towards the Salamander Shopping Village.

A 44-year-old man walked out of a grocery store and attempted to talk to the woman, however she allegedly lunged at the man, striking him in the chest and back with the knife, causing minor lacerations.

Police said that the sheath had been removed from the knife at this stage.

The woman then allegedly entered the store and was locked inside by staff and customers. Inside the store, the woman allegedly chased a 50-year-old man and stabbed him in the back.

Police said the woman then allegedly took hold of her five-year-old daughter and stabbed at her head several times before dragging her throughout the store by her hair for a short time.

"The five-year-old suffered a number of wounds due to the actions of her mother, the offender," Superintendent Jackson said.

"You can only imagine what the trauma would be like. Thankfully that little girl has remained in hospital in a stable condition. She's in the care of family and community services."

Port Stephens police officers arrived and arrested the woman. During her arrest she allegedly punched a senior constable twice to the face.

Superintendent Jackson said the woman had been "very, very aggressive" when officers arrived at the scene and praised their actions to "de-escalate the situation" quickly.

"Police tried to engage her in conversation then entered into a physical confrontation with her before they effected her arrest," he said.

"[It was] really good work by local police to affect the arrest with no further injury to members of the public."

Police said the woman allegedly suffered self-inflicted stab wounds to her head. Following her arrest, she was taken to the Mater Hospital in Newcastle for treatment and a mental health assessment.

The five-year-old girl was taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment to several lacerations to her skull.

The other victims were taken to Tomaree Community Hospital where they were treated for their minor injuries.

Police allege all the victims were unknown to the woman.

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