Emergency services near the scene on Endell Street in Covent Garden, central London. Photograph: James Manning/PAEmergency services near the scene on Endell Street in Covent Garden, central London. Photograph: James Manning/PAWoman arrested after four men stabbed in London’s Covent GardenMetropolitan police say 47-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of possession of offensive weapon and assault
A woman has been arrested after four men were stabbed in Covent Garden in central London, police said.
Four people were taken to a major trauma centre after the incident on Endell Street on Wednesday afternoon.
The Metropolitan police said four men aged 34, 39, 42, and 52 were found with stab wounds. No further update has been given on the extent of their injuries.
A 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault, the force added. She was taken to custody, where she remains.
A London ambulance service spokesperson said: “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.”
Police initially said three people had been stabbed, but they later confirmed four people had been found with knife wounds. No update has been given on the extent of the injuries.
Police cordons were quickly in place on Endell Street, a popular location for eating and drinking in the area.
Arjan Gjorga, who works at the Rock and Sole Plaice restaurant and witnessed the attack, said that a woman involved in the incident was known to people who worked on the street.
He said: “I see her all the time, she’s a homeless person. She walks up and down asking for help, she visits the church at the top of the street.”
Gjorga, who did not have to close his restaurant, said: “We all saw a commotion, people were running away. It was totally random, just random people. She suddenly started stabbing them.
“The police reacted immediately, they arrested her right away.”
Matt Bishop, 42, who works at a consultancy firm next to the cordon in Covent Garden, said he had seen a woman having a “standoff” with three police officers and waving a weapon around.
Andrea, the manager of Da Mario restaurant on the same street, said the attack happened in the middle of lunch service.
Gesturing at a pair of men enjoying cocktails on the shaded terrace, he said: “They saw it all but they weren’t fazed. They had a police cordon right over their heads but they kept on enjoying their lunch. It’s just another day in London.”
He also recognised the alleged perpetrator, saying: “She’s often on the street. We’ve seen her do things like this before, she’s recently got in an argument with a mate and thrown a bottle of vodka on the floor and it smashed outside the restaurant.”
By 3.30pm, the area was calm with the cordon down.
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