A 47-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, believed to be a pair of scissors, and assault after four men were injured in a stabbing in Covent Garden, central London. The attack occurred in the busy tourist area on Endell Street, prompting a significant police response.
Barber intervenes
A barber working nearby told The Sun that he challenged the attacker after one of the bloodied victims came into his premises, saying they had been stabbed. He said: "We all came rushing out of our shops to help. I ran towards her down the street and she stopped and looked at me holding the scissors. She had a weird look in her eyes. It was like she was possessed almost. But I still ran towards her and held her back. I was holding the woman back to stop her from attacking more people."
Another witness informed the newspaper that the woman was disarmed by officers while she was using a vape. Arjan Gjorga, who runs a fish and chip shop in Endell Street, said that 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."
Witness accounts
Another witness described the woman who was detained as homeless, noting that she was a recognisable figure on Endell Street and in the vicinity. Matt Bishop, 42, who is employed at a consultancy firm next to the police cordon, said he had observed a woman in a "stand-off" with three police officers while wielding a weapon. 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."
Another witness stated the stabbing occurred outside the Shaftesbury Theatre before the woman ran down Endell Street. The witness, who requested anonymity, said: "We noticed she stabbed three people with scissors by the theatre, then she came down here and the police were here."
Police response
A significant police cordon was put in place extending from High Holborn to the St Mungo's homeless centre on Endell Street, where officers were engaging with people before they entered the building. An air ambulance landed in Trafalgar Square, though the London Ambulance Service, which received the emergency call at 12.29pm, later confirmed it had "treated four patients at the scene and took them all to a major trauma centre as a priority by road".
The four injured men were aged 34, 39, 42 and 52. Two men are presently in hospital undergoing treatment for injuries described as "neither life-threatening nor life changing". Two further men have subsequently been discharged.
Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, responsible for policing in the locality, stated: "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 spokesperson for St Mungo's homeless charity, which has a presence in the Endell Street area, said: "Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this distressing incident. We are working closely with emergency services to ensure that all of the people we support, in addition to our colleagues, are safe and accounted for."
