Three men were hospitalised after a late-night brawl outside a kebab shop in Canterbury, in south-western Sydney, escalated into a stabbing. Police say the fight was a targeted attack between people known to each other, rather than a random act of violence, and have stressed that law-abiding members of the public are not at risk.

The men, aged 18, 23 and 24, arrived at Canterbury Hospital separately between midnight and 1.20am on Monday before being transferred to other hospitals for treatment under police guard. The 23- and 24-year-olds are in a serious but stable condition, while the 18-year-old is stable. CCTV captured the brawl, including one man leaping from a garden bed to attack two others before a further man ran in armed with a knife. Officers recovered a folding knife at the scene and are searching for a second weapon, while Burwood Superintendent Christine McDonald condemned the violence and appealed to the public via Crime Stoppers for information.