A woman has been arrested in central London after four men were stabbed at random in what police described as an isolated, mental health related attack. The incident occurred during lunchtime in Covent Garden, a busy tourist area filled with bars, theatres and restaurants.
Two men are being treated in hospital for injuries that are not life-threatening or life-changing, while the other two have been discharged. The 47-year-old woman is in custody after being arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, believed to be a pair of scissors, and assault.
Witness accounts
A restaurant manager said a woman started stabbing random people on a busy road in Covent Garden. Arjan Gjorga, who manages a fish and chip shop in Endell Street, said the victims were random people who were just walking by.
Mr Gjorga, 48, told the Press Association: “She just started stabbing random people. I didn’t see any scissors, but I heard it was with small scissors. We saw this lady after a few minutes being arrested – the police responded immediately.”
Matt Bishop, 42, who works at a consultancy firm next to the cordon in Covent Garden, said he saw a woman having a stand-off with three police officers and waving a weapon around. He said: “I didn’t see the stabbing. I saw her running down the road towards the crossroads. She looked quite old, short hair. There was a bit of a stand-off with three police officers. She didn’t seem to be particularly coherent. She was pretty incoherent in what she was shouting, the officer was asking what language she was shouting.”
Police response
Another witness said the stabbing happened outside the Shaftesbury Theatre before the woman made her way down Endell Street. The witness, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “We noticed she stabbed three people with scissors by the theatre then she came down here and the police were here.”
A large police cordon was set 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 their business.
Chief Superintendent 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.”
The injured men were aged 34, 39, 42 and 52.
