Washington, Sep 29 (IANS): A man was shot dead by police in the US state of Maryland after he stabbed five people, authorities said.

Police officers responded to the incident at around 1.45 p.m. on Saturday at the Hunt Valley Towne Centre in Cockeysville, where they found that the five people were attacked at an intersection nearby, sustaining no life-threatening injuries, Baltimore County Police Department said in a statement.

"Officers gave repeated commands to the suspect to drop the knife, but he refused to comply with police directives, and they were forced to discharge their weapons during the encounter," Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

"The suspect, who has not yet been positively identified, suffered a critical injury during the encounter and was pronounced deceased at the scene," it added.

The suspect's motive remains unclear.

All the five injured people were transported to local hospitals for treatment.