What happened in Hainault sword attack that killed 14-year-old boy
Watch: Hainault eyewitness video shows man in hoodie carrying ‘large blade’
A police officer who suffered “horrific” arm injuries in the Hainault sword attack was “not a million miles away” from losing a hand.
Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said on Wednesday that the female officer had surgery to tackle the “horrifically serious” injuries sustained in Tuesday’s attack, which left a 14-year-old dead and three others injured.
The man suspected of murdering the 14-year-old boy in north east London remains in hospital as locals come to terms with the incident.
The 36-year-old man was tasered and arrested in Hainault on Tuesday morning, then taken to hospital, after sustaining injuries when his van hit a house. The 14-year-old boy died shortly after being taken to hospital, while four other people, including two police officers, were injured in the attack.
Shocking CCTV footage showed the moment right before the suspect of the fatal stabbing attack was tasered by police. Doorcam footage shows a man in a yellow hoodie wielding a sword in a driveway in Hainault as an officer approaches from behind while aiming their weapon.
After being incapacitated by police, the sword-wielding man was arrested and was taken to custody. A damaged grey van was cordoned off on a residential road following the incident.
What we know
The Met said they were called shortly after 7am to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in the Thurlow Gardens area. The suspect went on to attack other members of the public and two police officers, the force said.
The man was tasered and arrested at the scene and is in police custody. The Met said it is not looking for any more suspects and that the incident does not appear to be terror-related. He has not yet been interviewed due to his injuries.
The London Ambulance Service said it was called at 6.54am to an incident near Hainault Underground Station where it treated five people and took all five to hospital.
Police said one of those injured in the incident, a 14-year-old boy, died from their injuries shortly after being taken to hospital.
Two Met Police officers suffered “significant injuries” that both required surgery. Met commissioner Rowley told LBC on Wednesday that one male officer has serious injuries to his hand, while a female colleague was in surgery for several hours on Tuesday after suffering “horrifically serious” wounds to her arm.
Rowley told LBC: “The first thing you have to say is for the parents involved, who’ve lost their 14-year-old, and that is just horrific, and it’s everyone’s worst nightmare. I’m sure we’re all thinking about them.
“We were on the ground in 12 minutes, and he was detained after 22 minutes. Obviously some of the first contacts led to officers being very severely injured.”
He said one male officer has serious injuries to his hand, while a female colleague was in surgery for several hours yesterday after suffering “horrifically serious” wounds to her arm.
“People say officers run towards danger. What you’ve actually seen on some of the videos that are sort of around social media and on new sites such as your own, you actually see what that really looks like. You’ve got officers running towards someone who’s waving a sword,” Rowley said.
Two members of the public were also wounded. All four remain in hospital and none of their injuries are being treated as life-threatening.
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In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Met Police assistant commissioner Louisa Rolfe addressed speculation on the attackers’ background including the police previously being in contact with him.
“We have found no trace of a prior incident involving him so far,” she said. Rolfe said the 36-year-old man arrested this morning was injured after crashing his van into a building. “He has been arrested on suspicion of murder. At this time, given his injuries, we have been unable to interview him,” she added.
Rolfe said there will be a “significant police presence” in the area to help residents feel safe. “We are really keen to speak to anyone who witnessed this incident or has relevant information and would ask that they come forward as soon as possible,” she said.
“We are turning focus to the wider community and in particular how the incident has impacted young people.”
What we don’t know
The 14-year-old boy who died has not yet been formally identified. The Met said his family are being supported by local officers and specialist officers.
It is not known what sparked the incident, as the Met said it was not a “targeted” attack.
There are no details yet about the man who has been arrested, other than his age. It is unclear how exactly the house which was driven into by a vehicle is related to the stabbings.
We do not know when the suspect will be interviewed by police or the nature of his injuries. Yahoo News UK has contacted the Met Police for an update.
Eyewitness accounts
A neighbour from nearby Laing Close, who witnessed the attacks, said he could “not stop envisioning the boy’s face”.
Describing the incident, James Fernando, 39, said there had been a brief conversation between the suspect and one of his neighbours.
Within moments, he said that the boy, who he said was on his way to school, had been hit in the face. “It’s quite traumatising now. I can’t stop envisioning the boy’s face,” he said.
A resident in Thurlow Gardens, who wished to remain anonymous, said the suspect was tasered in their garden. They said the attacker jumped over the fence before being held down by officers, and that they have given household CCTV to the police.
The resident’s neighbour, who also didn’t wish to be named, witnessed the arrest, and said: “He was being tasered, went to the floor with all the armed police officers around and he was subdued there for half an hour.”
One man, who asked not to be named, said he heard a woman scream after what appeared to be a stand-off between police and the suspect in an alleyway.
He said: “I heard shouting, I heard shrieking – I thought ‘who would be shrieking at this time in the morning?’
“The shrieking sounded like the police – you know when they are ordering someone to stop or to get on their knees or something – it was like that. It was like ‘stop where you are, put that down, put that down’ – that kind of thing.
“I looked out the back window because the noise was coming from back there, I saw a bloke dressed in yellow jumping over some fences… then he went down an alley like he was going back onto the street again.
“I saw a policeman and policewoman – normal coppers with the short-sleeved shirts – who chased after him and they were shouting for him to put it down.”
The eyewitness said he heard someone say, “he’s got a massive knife”, or “he’s got a massive sword”.
He added: “Then he disappeared down this alley and then he was out of sight. They (the police) went into the alley and there seemed to be some sort of a stand-off there where I heard this huge commotion, then I heard a scream.
“From that commotion, at least one person was knifed – I think it might have been a woman because I heard a woman scream and then some sort of sobbing sounds.”
Another eyewitness told Channel 4 News the suspect was carrying a “massive sword” while he was “on the phone to the fire brigade”.
He says the suspect was stepping on a residents’ foot to “stop her from moving” and was telling her to tell the fire brigade his location, supposedly because his van was smoking from the crash.
The bystander then described a teenager coming out of his house, putting his earphones in as the woman screamed to warn him of the suspect, who he says struck the boy as he was turning around.
Diogo Alexandre Barreto Alves, who lives two minutes from where the incident occurred, told the BBC that he began receiving calls from friends and family to make sure he was OK as the news started to break. He added: “You wouldn’t expect this type of thing to happen around here; it’s so slow, people know each other and people always say hello.”
Reaction
London mayor Sadiq Khan said: “I’m sure I speak for the entire city when I say our thoughts are with this young child and his family.”
Ilford North MP Wes Streeting said: “Our whole community will be devastated by the heartbreaking news that a 14-year-old boy was killed in the horrific sword attack in Hainault this morning. I can’t imagine what that poor boy’s family are going through and they have my deepest, heartfelt condolences.”
He also praised emergency services, “particularly the heroic Metropolitan Police Officers who put themselves in harm’s way to protect others”. “They are the best of us,” he added.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak said: “This is a shocking incident. My thoughts are with those affected and their families. I’d like to thank the emergency services for their ongoing response, and pay tribute to the extraordinary bravery shown by police on the scene. Such violence has no place on our streets.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “Following the horrific scenes in Hainault this morning, the King has asked to be kept fully informed as details of the incident become clearer.
“His thoughts and prayers are with all those affected – in particular, the family of the young victim who has lost his life – and he salutes the courage of the emergency services who helped contain the situation.”
Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Rick Prior said the incident was a “sad reminder of the incredible bravery our officers display and the dangers they face to keep the public in London safe”.
Redbridge Council said it was “shocked”, saying: “Hainault is a close-knit community and we know this will have shaken local people. Our thoughts are with all those affected and their family members.”
Council leader Jas Athwal said the community’s “thoughts, prayers, hearts go out to those affected”.