A man has been shot dead by police in a French city after five people were wounded in a hotel and a nearby street. The man was armed with two knives and a baton. He had been evicted from the hotel in Marseille for not paying his rent, according to local authorities.

Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone told reporters the man ignored police warnings to drop his weapons. Mr Bessone said the man attacked one person in his old room before stabbing the manager of the hotel and his son.

The suspected attacker was described by the prosecutor as a Tunisian national who was legally resident in France and known to police.

After being evicted from the hotel, Mr Bessone said the man came back armed with knives and attacked three people.

He then went on to a snack bar where he tried to stab the manager. Witnesses heard shots ringing out in front of a kebab shop near Marseille's Old Port just before 3pm local time on Tuesday (September 2).

Brave customers chased the man away from the eatery in Cours Belsunce before police officers arrived, shooting at the suspect with guns and tasers, according to the BBC.

One victim who was stabbed at the hotel was in a critical condition, according to Mr Bessone. He said the other two were also seriously wounded.

France's Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, was due to visit the scene of the attack. Marseille's Mayor Benoît Payan praised police for their swift response.

He posted: "[A]longside residents, law enforcement, and emergency services, I express my full support to all those affected by the heinous knife attack that occurred in Belsunce today.

"I thank the national police for their swift response. I just spoke with the Minister of the Interior, who will be in Marseille this evening.

"The safety of the people of Marseille is my priority."