Four people rushed to major trauma centre after stabbings near Covent Garden in London's West End
Four men have been rushed to a major trauma centre after stabbings near Covent Garden in central London.A woman, 47, has been arrested following the incident this afternoon, the Metropolitan Police said – while four men were being treated for injuries.Police and paramedics were called to the scene in Endell Street at about 12.30pm.A police cordon was put in place and an air ambulance helicopter was seen landing in nearby Trafalgar Square. The injured men are aged 34, 39, 42 and 52, according to Scotland Yard, who said a pair of scissors was seized from the scene.The arrested woman was being held on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and assault.Reports have suggested that the stabbings were carried out using scissors, while police said they believed it to be a 'mental health related incident'. Scotland Yard has since updated to say two of the victims remained in hospital on Wednesday afternoon with injuries not believed to be life-threatening or life changing, while the other two have now been discharged. Police officers arrested a woman after four people were stabbed in central London A man wearing a blood-soaked shirt was seen alerting police officers to his injuries Police and paramedics were called to Endell Street in central London after four men were stabbed on Wednesday afternoon An air ambulance helicopter was seen landing in Trafalgar Square after nearby stabbings today Four men were taken to a major trauma centre following stabbings near Covent Garden in London's West End, the LAS said. Paramedics are seen in nearby Trafalgar Square
A woman is said to have approached people outside the Shaftesbury Theatre showing the musical Avenue Q.Two men were reportedly stabbed in the back there, 'with scissors', before others were attacked further along Endell Street.Witnesses at the scene suggest the attacker, seen regularly in the area, left St Mungo’s homeless hostel shortly after 12noon before allegedly assaulting the men with 5in-long scissors.One victim was seen was seen with blood splattered across his shirt, while another distressed victim stood with a bandage plastered across his back.After targeting the bystanders, a woman was ushered by police officers along the adjacent Short's Garden before being arrested.A worker at beauty products store Sakaré, who witnessed the incident, told the Daily Mail: 'I saw the police officers threatening her with a Taser.'I didn't know she had stabbed anyone and then I went back and saw the guy was patched up and bleeding. It was a scratch on his back.'It was a pair of scissors that was around 5in long. She refused to give it to police and they held her from the back and tackled to her to the ground. Police officers are seen detaining a woman after the incident in Endell Street One of the four victims is pictured being treated at the Endell Sreet scene'It's not the first time I've seen something like this in London. It's scary - it's right by where I work.'I saw one of the victims this morning too and a couple of hours later he's bleeding. It could have been me.'Another witness, who preferred not to be named, described the attacker as 'crazy', adding: 'Police were trying to get her to put the scissors down and she just wouldn't put it down. She was blonde with short hair.'A London Ambulance Service Spokesperson said: 'We were called at 12:29pm today (5 August) to reports of a stabbing on Endell Street, WC2H.'We sent an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.'We treated four patients at the scene and took them all to a major trauma centre as a priority by road.'A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said that the four men were found with stab wounds after officers were called at about 12.27pm.They said: 'They have since been taken to hospital and we await an update on their injuries. There was an apparent stand-off involving police holding Taser guns The casualty was wrapped in bandaging following the stabbings at around 12.30pm A police cordon was put in place after four men suffered stab wounds near Covent Garden A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said four men aged 34, 39, 42 and 52 were found with stab wounds after officers were called at about 12.27pm - officers remained on the scene'A 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault. She was taken to custody where she remains.'Police remain in the area, with a scene in place on Endell Street and the surrounding areas in Covent Garden.The force added that this was believed to be 'a mental health related incident' and that officers had seized a pair of scissors at the scene. A large police cordon was put up from High Holborn to the St Mungo’s homeless centre in Endell Street, where officers were speaking to people before they entered the building. Restaurants near the cordon towards Long Acre continued business.Matt Bishop, 42, who works at a consultancy firm next to the cordon, said he had seen a woman having a 'stand-off' with three police officers and waving a weapon around.He added that he did not see the stabbing but saw the woman running towards the crossroads and said she seemed 'pretty incoherent'.The Met's Chief Supt Jason Stewart, who leads policing in the area, said: 'Officers responded within minutes of this incident after receiving a number of reports.'While still at an early stage of the investigation, we would like to reassure the community that we currently believe this to be an isolated, mental health related incident.'A visible police presence will remain in the area while evidence is gathered at the scene and we thank the public for their understanding.' 'Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD3449/05AUG.
