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Woman arrested after four men stabbed 'with scissors' near Covent Garden in central London

Four men – aged 34, 39, 42, and 52 - were found with stab wounds.

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By Ella Bennett, Alice Padgett and Rebecca Henrys

A woman has been arrested after four men were stabbed in Covent Garden in central London, the Metropolitan Police said.

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The London Ambulance Service and Metropolitan Police attended the scene after being called just after midday today to reports of a stabbing on Endell Street.

Four men – aged 34, 39, 42, and 52 - were found with stab wounds and assessed at the scene by paramedics, the Met Police has said.

They were taken to hospital, where two remain with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.

The other two victims have since been discharged.

Police said the men were stabbed at "random" in an “isolated, mental health” related attack.

Police cordon on Endell Street
Police at the scene on Endell Street . Picture: LBC
A witness told LBC a woman approached members of the public outside the theatre showing Avenue Q the musical, where she stabbed two men in the back, then ran down Endell Street, where she stabbed more people, the witness claimed.
A witness told LBC a woman approached members of the public outside the theatre showing Avenue Q the musical, where she stabbed two men in the back, then ran down Endell Street, where she stabbed more people, the witness claimed. Picture: .

A witness at the Craft Beer Co on Endell Street told LBC a woman approached members of the public outside the theatre showing Avenue Q the musical, where she stabbed two men in the back.

The woman then ran down Endell Street, where she stabbed more people, the witness claimed.

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”.

Another witness told LBC they believe the victims had been stabbed with scissors.

London's Air Ambulance was also dispatched, landing nearby in the busy Trafalgar Square.

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London Air Ambulance in Trafalgar Square
London Air Ambulance in Trafalgar Square. Picture: LBC
Air ambulance crews were seen making their way to the scene
Air ambulance crews were seen making their way to the scene. Picture: Matthew Chattle/Alamy Live News

A police cordon that was in place on Endell Street has since been lifted.

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.

"A visible police presence will remain in the area while evidence is gathered at the scene and we thank the public for their understanding."

Emergency services near the scene
Emergency services near the scene. Picture: PA

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, 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”.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD3449/05AUG.