Covent Garden stabbing live: Police arrest woman in London as four men attacked

Covent Garden stabbing live: Police arrest woman in London as four men attacked A woman has been arrested after four men were stabbed with a weapon believed to be a pair of scissors in Covent Garden, central London A 47-year-old woman has been arrested after four men were stabbed in what police think was an "isolated mental health-related incident" in central London. The woman has been held on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon – believed to be a pair of scissors – and assault after the Wednesday lunchtime incident in busy Covent Garden, an area filled with bars, theatres and restaurants. Two men are being treated in hospital for injuries which are not life-threatening or life-changing and the other two were discharged. They are aged 34, 39, 42 and 52. The woman was held by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection unit, who happened to be in the area at the time of the attack. Members of the elite armed police unit drew their Tasers during the incident. The highly trained officers normally protect high-profile individuals and sites of national importance. Key Events An air ambulance helicopter landed in Trafalgar Square, but London Ambulance Service later said it had "treated four patients at the scene and took them all to a major trauma centre as a priority by road". Matt Bishop, 42, who works near the cordon in Covent Garden, said he had seen a woman having a "stand-off" with three police officers and brandishing a weapon. "I didn't see the stabbing. I saw her running down the road towards the crossroads. She looked quite old, short hair," he said. He added that she did not 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 in Endell Street, said the victims were "random people who were just walking by". "She just started stabbing random people. I didn't see any scissors, but I heard it was with small scissors," Mr Gjorga, 48, told the Press Association. "We saw this lady after a few minutes being arrested – the police responded immediately." Police are continuing to investigate a stabbing in central London. Four men were injured in what officers described as an "isolated, mental health" attack. A woman, 47, is in police custody following the attack. She was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, believed to be a pair of scissors, and assault. A barber working at 2 Chairs Grooming Room on Endell Street has given a new account of what happened to The Sun, including the dramatic moment one of the four victims came into the shop with a bloodied blue shirt shouting "I've been stabbed" and holding his back. He said: "I immediately ran to give him some tissue and tried to calm him down. He said a woman had jumped at him without saying anything and just started attacking him with scissors near the theatre. "While we were treating him he shouted that the same woman was coming back down the street." The barber, aged 36, was cutting someone's hair when the victim rushed in for help and also explained he helped confront the woman, stopping her from attacking other people. He said: "We all came rushing out of our shops to help. I ran towards her down the street and she stopped and looked at me holding the scissors. "She had a weird look in her eyes. It was like she was possessed almost. But I still ran towards her and held her back. I was holding the woman back to stop her from attacking more people." The Press Association reports that one witness described the woman who was arrested as homeless, adding that she is regularly seen in Endell Street and the surrounding area. A spokesman 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. An elite armed police unit who happened to be passing the Covent Garden scene after four men were stabbed intervened to prevent further bloodshed, Mirror Crime Editor Tom Pettifor reports. Officers from the Met Police's Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection unit arrested a female suspect after drawing their tasers during the incident in Covent Garden. A police source said the PaPD officers were driving through central London by chance when they were alerted. Images of the arrest showed the woman being led to a distinctive red PaPD police van. The unit is the largest armed command in England, Scotland and Wales, protecting high profile individuals and sites of national importance. They predominantly provide security to London's diplomatic community and the parliamentary estate in Westminster. Covent Garden is one of central London's busiest areas, located in the city's West End. It's famous for its central Piazza, which features artisan craft stalls and live street performers. The Royal Opera House is also located in Covent Garden. The area is renowned for its luxury fashion and beauty stores, featuring brands like Aesop, Barbour, Brandy Melville and Chanel. It also boasts numerous restaurants and bars like Din Tai Fung, Flat Iron, Sushisamba and All Bar One. This is the full statement released by the Met Police just after 3.30pm, following this afternoon's incident in Covent Garden. The force said: "Four men – aged 34, 39, 42, and 52 - were found with stab wounds and assessed at the scene by paramedics. "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. "At around 12:27hrs on Wednesday, 5 August, police were called to reports of stabbing on Endell Street, Covent Garden. "Officers attended alongside the London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance. "A 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault. "She was taken to custody where she remains. "Police remain in the area, with a scene in place on Endell Street and the surrounding areas in Covent Garden. "Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD3449/05AUG." The scene has since been cleared, with all police cordons lifted. Officers from the Met Police have now removed all cordons and road closures from the area, the BBC reports. The force previosuly said four men were stabbed and taken to hospital but two of them have since been discharged. The other two victims remain in hospital with injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing. 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." 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." An eyewitness said the stabbing in Covent Garden happened outside the Shaftesbury Theatre before the woman made her way down Endell Street. 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." Tim Keates, 61, was outside a shop on Endell Street decorating when the incident happened. He told Press Association: "There was no actual commotion until the fire brigade and police turned up. "I heard a shout, but it was really just that the traffic had stopped, I heard frustrated drivers and cyclists." A restaurant manager said a woman "started stabbing random people" on a busy road in London's Covent Garden. Arjan Gjorga, who manages a fish and chip shop on Endell Street, said the victims were "random people who were just walking by". Mr Gjorga, 48, told the Press Association: "She just started stabbing random people. I didn’t see any scissors, but I heard it was with small scissors. "We saw this lady after a few minutes being arrested – the police responded immediately." Matt Bishop, 42, works at a consultancy firm just next to the cordon in Covent Garden. He explained he saw a woman having a "stand-off" with three police officers and waving a weapon around. He said: "I didn’t see the stabbing. I saw her running down the road towards the crossroads. "She looked quite old, short hair. 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." - A 47-year-old woman has been arrested after four men were stabbed on Endell Street in Covent Garden shortly after midday - The four men, aged 34, 39, 42 and 52, were found with stab wounds and assessed at the scene by paramedics, the Metropolitan Police said - Two men have since been discharged from hospital, while the other two remain in hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing - The woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault, and remains in police custody - Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, who leads policing in the area, said officers "believe this to be an isolated, mental health-related incident" - The Met said officers were called to the scene at 12.27pm and attended alongside the London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance - Pictures from the scene show a woman being detained by officers in front of a crowd, as well as a man in a light blue shirt with what appears to be blood on the back of his shirt A video shows the moment an air ambulance took off from Trafalgar Square earlier this afternoon. The London Ambulance Service said the helicopter left without any patients on board as those injured were taken to a major trauma centre by road. A witness has said the stabbings happened outside the Shaftesbury Theatre. The witness, who wished to remain anonymous, told Sky News: "We noticed she stabbed three people with scissors by the theatre, then she came down here [Endell Street] and the police were here." Four men, aged 34, 39, 42 and 52, were stabbed on Endell Street earlier this afternoon, the Metropolitan Police said. Two men have since been discharged from hospital, while the other two remain in hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing. Pictures from the scene show a man in a light blue shirt with what appears to be blood on the back of his shirt. Met Police officers remain in the area following the incident in Covent Garden earlier this afternoon, with a scene in place on Endell Street and the surrounding streets. Ch Supt Stewart said: "A visible police presence will remain in the area while evidence is gathered at the scene." The force thanked the public for their understanding. 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." The Metropolitan Police said four men - aged 34, 39, 42 and 52 - were found with stab wounds. In an update, the force 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." More from the Mirror's chief reporter Andy Lines who is at the scene. One woman coming out of the Oasis Sports Centre said: "I heard one man shouting 'she’s stabbing people with scissors'. It all seemed very strange. "I saw several people running but it all happening at the other end of the street. I had a class booked and went to that and when I came out the street was still sealed off." The Mirror's chief reporter Andy Lines is at the scene. Endell Street remains cordoned off, with dozens of officers still around the area. At the north end near Shaftesbury Avenue, several officers, carrying open laptops, have been carrying out enquiries. There are many eye-witnesses still standing behind the police tape. They are waiting to be interviewed. At the Byron restaurant nearby, one diner said the stabbing happened in the middle of the street between 12.15pm and 12.30pm. She said: "Lots of people panicked and fled. I didn't see the incident as I was about 50 yards away but people ran." Endell Street, in London's West End, runs from High Holborn to the junction of Long Acre and Bow Street in the heart of Covent Garden. The Met Police's Camden borough team has provided further details about the incident, saying that while the investigation is at an early stage, the force believes the incident was mental health-related. "Officers seized a pair of scissors at the scene," they added. The Metropolitan Police said anyone with information about the incident should call 101, quoting reference CAD3449/05AUG. It is understood that the stabbings were a mental health-related incident. A pair of scissors was recovered at the scene.