A woman has been charged after four men were injured in a stabbing attack in central London.
Officers were called to reports of a stabbing on Endell Street in Covent Garden, a busy tourist area filled with bars, theatres and restaurants, just before 12.30pm on Wednesday.
Stella Gollovena, 47, of no fixed address, has been charged with four counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one count of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, the Metropolitan Police said on Thursday.
She has been remanded in custody to appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court later on Thursday.
Met Police officers attended the scene on Wednesday alongside the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance.
Four men, aged 34, 39, 42 and 56, had stab wounds but have since been discharged from hospital as their injuries were not deemed life-threatening or life-changing.
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, 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.”
A spokesperson for St Mungo’s homeless charity, which works 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.”
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.
Restaurants near the cordon towards Long Acre continued their business.
Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, who leads policing in the area, said: “Officers responded within minutes of this incident after receiving a number of reports.”
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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