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2 hours ago
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A woman has been arrested after four men were stabbed in Covent Garden, central London, police said.
The Metropolitan police said the men, aged 34, 39, 42 and 52, were found with stab wounds. They were taken to a major trauma centre after the lunchtime incident on Endell Street.
Two of the men were being treated for injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing and the other two had been discharged.
A 47-year-old woman remained in custody after being arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, believed to be a pair of scissors, and assault.
Ch Supt 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.”
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.”
One witness said the stabbing happened outside the Shaftesbury Theatre before the woman allegedly made her way down Endell Street, a popular location for eating and drinking in the area.
The witness, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “We noticed she stabbed three people with scissors by the theatre then she came down here and the police were here.”
One of the victims ran into a barber shop and took his shirt off, revealing a large gash in his back, workers there said.
Arjan Gjorga, who works at the Rock and Sole Plaice restaurant and witnessed the attack, said 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.
