Woman arrested after four men stabbed in Covent Garden

A woman has been arrested after four men were stabbed in Covent Garden in central London, police said.

Four people have been taken to a major trauma centre following 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 into custody, where she remains.

The stabbing is believed to have been a mental health-related incident and a pair of scissors were recovered at the scene, the Met said.

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 previously said three people had been stabbed in the incident, but in a statement they later confirmed four people were found with stab wounds.

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 business.

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 running towards the crossroads and said she seemed “pretty incoherent”.

A Met Police spokesperson said: “At around 12.27pm on Wednesday August 5, police were called to reports of a stabbing on Endell Street, Covent Garden.

“Officers attended alongside the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance.

“Four men – aged 34, 39, 42 and 52 – were found with stab wounds and assessed at the scene by paramedics. They have since been taken to hospital and we await an update on their injuries.

“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.”