A woman who witnessed the moment a man reportedly stabbed a teenage boy to death has recalled how she tried to warn him shortly before the attack.
Four people, including two police officers, remain in hospital after the attack - which involved a vehicle ploughing into a residential property following a knife crime incident.
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that a 36-year-old man is now in custody after the attack at around 7am this morning. Police officers were also seen swarming a London Underground station, forcing its closure, after reports emerged of a man "walking around with a sword".
Aiste Dabasinskaaite was coming out of her home yesterday morning in Hainault, East London when she says a man approached her asking for the address of the area they were in. She first thought he was lost or that he had crashed his car before he "drew out the sword".
Aiste Dabasinskaaite witness the alleged attack (itv.com)She said: "It was arm's length. It was honestly petrifying. I just ran down the road, I didn't even look back to see if he was chasing me." Moments later, a 14-year-old boy was attacked as he left his house to walk to school. He later died in hospital.
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Aiste told ITV how she tried to warn the lad. She said: "My instinct was to shout and wave at him, which is what me and another neighbour did but because he had just his headphones on I don't think he heard either of us. It was sort of a moment where we just went from shouting to just blankness, just felt empty."
Met Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell confirmed a 14-year-old boy had died from his injuries. "The events of this morning are truly horrific," the officer said. "I know that there will be clearly and understandably a desire for answers about what has happened."
This morning, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said a female police officer came close to losing her hand in the sword attack.
Forensics police at the scene of an alleged attack in Hainault, East London (David Dyson)Sir Mark 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,” Sir Mark said.
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