A 47-year-old woman has been arrested after four people were stabbed in Covent Garden in central London today, police have said.
The Metropolitan Police said they were called to reports of stabbing at 12.27pm on Wednesday afternoon and four men, aged 34, 39, 42, and 52, were found with stab wounds and taken to a major trauma centre.
Two of the victims remain in hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing, while the other two victims have been discharged.
A woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault, the force added. She was taken to custody where she remains.
It is understood the stabbing was a mental health-related incident and a pair of scissors were recovered at the scene.
Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, of the Met, said in a statement: “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.”
A large police cordon was put 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.
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, who “looked quite old, short hair”, running towards the crossroads.
He said: “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.”
Arjan Gjorga, who manages a fish and chip shop on Endell Street, said the victims were “random people who were just walking by”.
An employee at 2 Chairs Grooming Room, a barber shop on Endell Street, said they helped one of the victims call the police after they had been stabbed.
The employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “One of the victims ran into the shop to call the police. He was wearing a shirt and had a hole in his back.
“He was traumatised, he was panicked but the police turned up very quickly.”
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.”
Police previously said that three people had been stabbed in the incident, but in a statement they later confirmed four people were found with stab wounds.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD3449/05AUG.
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