Chaos erupted at Baker Street Underground station during the Notting Hill Carnival weekend after a man threw a drink at a fellow reveller, sparking a violent brawl. Footage shared on social media shows a woman in a leopard print dress chasing the man up the station stairs, before he dives into a train carriage and is set upon by another man who lands several punches. The incident is one of many that led to a total of 423 arrests over the two-day festival, according to the Metropolitan Police.
The brawl began when a man in a brightly-coloured costume threw a drink up the stairs, prompting the woman to pursue him with her handbag. She was joined by another man, and the initial offender was filmed standing on a train seat before being attacked and dragged out of the carriage. Onlookers laughed and filmed the scene, while the woman screamed in the background.
Police reported 200 arrests on Sunday and 223 on Monday, an increase from 349 last year. Two stabbings occurred on Bank Holiday Monday, but neither resulted in life-threatening injuries. Despite the violence, police noted a reduction in serious incidents compared to previous years, which saw eight stabbings and two murders in 2023.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward said: 'This year we have proactively targeted those who have attempted to come to Carnival to cause harm to others. We have used live facial recognition, knife arches and our stop-and-search powers to identify and arrest more than 400 suspects. These arrests have prevented some of the serious violence we have seen at previous Carnivals.'
