Four hurt and seven arrested in Bromley stabbing
Seven people are arrested after a fight that an eyewitness says broke out near a KFC restaurant.
Four hurt and seven arrested in Bromley stabbing
Image source, PA Media
Image caption, KFC confirmed that a "serious incident" took place at the restaurant
ByAmy Clarke
Updated 1 hour ago
Seven people have been arrested after four men were stabbed in south-east London, the Metropolitan Police has said.
One of the men remains in a critical condition in hospital, while the other three are being treated for injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
Paramedics and the London Air Ambulance were called at about 14:20 BST to Bromley High Street,where one eyewitness reported seeing a man wielding a machete.
A KFC spokesperson confirmed a "serious incident" had taken place at its Bromley High Street restaurant and an altercation had begun there. The company said it was assisting police and "supporting our team members and customers at this difficult time".
Image caption, Paramedics were sent to Bromley High Street on Thursday afternoon
An eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said: "I saw a fight breaking out at the door of KFC; people involved were partly inside and outside.
"A male in a grey tracksuit pulled out a machete and ran further into KFC holding it up in the air, at which point most people around KFC started running away, including my friend and I.
"I didn't turn around until we got to the shopping centre where I saw him running away with someone down a road."
Image source, @Vinnie_Vdk
Image caption, Police said there was no wider threat to the public
Georgiana, the manager of Merkur Slots gambling shop, said she saw "a fight spill out" on to the High Street.
She said she became "very worried", and locked three customers inside the premises to wait for the situation to calm down.
She said the customers remained inside and that the shop was still closed.
Figure caption, Watch: BBC reports from scene of south-east London stabbing
Vinnie Guadagnino, who lives on Bromley High Street, said he saw a large emergency response with multiple police cars and about 10 officers on foot.
"Police cars kept coming, then within the next half hour there were multiple fire engines and people gathering.
"Then there was a drone overhead and helicopters and an air ambulance - so a massive emergency service response."
Image caption, A cordon remains in place at the scene
Bromley High Street is currently closed both ways from Ringers Road to Ethelbert Road.
Police remain at the scene and say there is not believed to be any wider threat to the public.
Image source, PA
Image caption, Forensic investigators at the scene on Bromley High Street
Peter Fortune, Conservative MP for Bromley and Biggin Hill, said on X that residents "would have safety concerns" and he would remain in contact with the police as they investigate.
Liberal Democrat councillor Graeme Casey said: "We're very grateful because, of course, one of the big problems we have in London is our police are quite thinly stretched, so to have had such a robust response in such a short space of time is really to the credit of all the blue-light services involved."
Image caption, Witnesses Matias Alil and Fergal Hickey saw the commotion
Matias Alil described the reaction on the street. He said: "It was terrible. We saw a massive commotion and something going on in KFC. It was really scary, to be honest."
Fergal Hickey added: "You can see the police out there have the situation under control, so you don't really need to be too anxious about it but it's still pretty crazy to see it when it happens."
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