Man held after five hurt in Croydon knife attack

A 30 year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm after five men were injured in a knife attack in Croydon, south London.

Police were called to Marlowe Way in Beddington to reports of a stabbing near a Sainsburys and Argos warehouse at about 10:15 GMT.

London Ambulance Service (LAS) said the victims were taken to hospital, including one to a major trauma centre. The Met Police said it believed all those involved knew each other.

One man who was injured while helping to fight off the attacker said he was "stabbing at me like a serial killer".

Joseph Denton, 29, added: "He didn't say a word. He was trying to kill me and I'd never seen him before in my life.

"He stabbed two people in the chest, one had a big gash in his arm. I think someone in the side as well."

Mr Denton, who is from Rayleigh, Essex, added: "I tried to lock the door, but where I couldn't I had to just confront him and fight him basically.

"I got him on the floor and decided to hit him with a fire extinguisher, which sort of calmed everything down.

"And then people rushed in because he was on the floor at that point, and then we all just carried on attacking him until he left.

"I didn't really have a choice to be honest."

Asked about the knife, Mr Denton said: "It was literally the size of my face. It was a Rambo knife about eight inches, with all jagged edges."

A BBC reporter on the scene reported seeing a significant response from emergency services, including multiple ambulances, fire engines and helicopters.

An LAS spokesperson said one victim was in his 50s, two in their 30s, and two in their 20s.

"We sent a number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast-response car, an incident response officer, members of our Tactical Response Unit and London's Air Ambulance.

"Our crews treated five patients at the scene, before taking one to a London major trauma centre and four to other hospitals."

The Met Police said the suspect had also been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon.

He was taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, the force added.

Ch Sup Andy Brittain said: "Officers responded quickly and arrested the suspect within an hour. An investigation is now under way.

"Based on initial enquiries we believe all those involved knew each other. Therefore we do not believe there is any wider risk to the public."

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