A sword-wielding man has been arrested after witnesses spoke of shrieks and screams following reported stabbings and attacks on police officers.
Five people were taken to hospital following the incident in Hainault, east London, at around 7am on Tuesday, London Ambulance Service said.
One man spoke of how the suspect was involved in a stand-off with police in an alleyway in the Thurlow Gardens area, before hearing a “huge commotion” and a woman screaming.
The man, who asked not to be named, told the PA news agency he saw a man dressed in yellow jumping over fences from his back window and heard someone shout “he’s got a massive knife”.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were initially called to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house.
The force said there were reports of people being stabbed during the incident and the suspect is understood to have gone on to attack other members of the public and two police officers.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the incident as “shocking”, adding: “Such violence has no place on our streets”.
A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene and is in custody, police said.
The Met said it is not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and it is not believed to be terror-related.
Speaking about what he saw on Tuesday morning, the witness 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.”
He continued: “I also heard the words ‘he’s got a massive knife’, or ‘he’s got a massive sword’.
“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.
“I then heard a voice say something like ‘she’s been stabbed in the face’ or ‘we need assistance’ – you know, calling for medical back-up.”
London Ambulance Service said it treated five people at the scene and all five were taken to hospital.
Transport for London’s website confirmed Hainault Tube station is closed “due to a police investigation in the area”.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said: “This must have been a terrifying incident for those concerned.
“I know the wider community will be feeling shock and alarm.
“People will want to know what has happened and we will provide more information as soon as we can.”