A suspected knifeman who is said to have gone on a stabbing rampage in a London hospital was detained today by armed cops. As patients described being evacuated from the hospital, the Metropolitan Police announced that armed police had immediately been dispatched to the incident at the Central Middlesex Hospital.
Social media reports indicate that the hospital has been placed on lockdown. Images and videos from the site show armed police officers as employees and patients flee. According to the London Ambulance Service, two injured patients were attended to on the spot.
A tweet from London North West University Healthcare advised, “There’s an ongoing incident at Central Middlesex Hospital. Please follow any instructions given to you by the police.”
Around 2:00 p.m., emergency personnel flocked to Acton Lane in West London; a video posted to Twitter showed police cars and ambulances in the area. Patients were allegedly hiding in secure rooms, according to reports of a knife attack and statements made on social media.
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One person wrote on social media, “I am at Middlesex Central Hospital in the dialysis unit and we’re sheltering in safe rooms. Armed policemen are on the scene, being described as a ”major incident’.” Another wrote “My partner is in a lockdown situation” while a third added, “The whole area is on lockdown and they have evacuated as far as they can safely and there are now ambulances and police.”
The London Ambulance Service said they had treated two people at the scene. A spokesperson said, “We were called today (21 June) at 1:18 pm to reports of an incident at Central Middlesex Hospital. We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an incident response officer, an advanced paramedic, an ambulance crew, a medic in a fast response car, and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART). We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance. Our teams have so far treated two people at the scene. The incident is still ongoing.”
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Over 200 beds are available at the Central Middlesex Hospital, which is located in northwestern London on the borders of Brent and Ealing. It is managed by the NHS Trust at London North West University.
