Met Police investigating six stabbings after Arsenal Champions Parade
The Metropolitan Police said it was investigating six stabbings following the Arsenal Champions Parade in London.
Police said a total of 24 people were arrested after more than 500 officers, as well as specialist search and drone teams, were deployed at Sunday’s event.
Officers thanked the vast majority of people for “celebrating responsibly” but said investigations were ongoing.
It is estimated that up to a million Arsenal fans lined the route around the Emirates Stadium in Islington for the parade that saw the north London club win the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.
Arrests included 10 people on suspicion of attacking police; One police officer was injured by a cut on his hand, and another was hit in the head with thrown objects.
Three people were arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and one person was arrested on suspicion of serious injury. Everyone who was detained was detained.
Damage was also sustained to four police vans in Islington, resulting in broken lights and dents, but no arrests were made.
The Met said it dealt with six stabbings “in the parade footprint” after most of the evening crowd had dispersed.
Most of the victims were not seriously injured, but a man in his twenties was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries at around 8.30pm. His condition is currently stable.
A Section 60 order was issued in the area overnight to help prevent further crime and give officers additional stop and search powers.
London Fire Brigade also confirmed its crews had rescued around 75 people from various elevated positions throughout the event and appealed for fans to avoid climbing onto rooftops.
Commander Stuart Bell, who led the Met’s law and order operation at the weekend, said: “I would like to thank the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of Arsenal fans who turned out on the day to celebrate safely and responsibly.
“There was a police presence along the route throughout the event, supporting event organizers and managing operations.
“However, we were clear that violence and other crimes would not be tolerated and unfortunately there was anti-social behavior and incidents, including attacks on colleagues, that police officers had to respond to.
“As the evening progressed and the majority of the crowd headed home, incidents of violence, including gang-related incidents, unfortunately escalated further.
“Officers quickly attended the scene of each stabbing and investigations are ongoing.”
Chief Inspector Jason Stewart, who leads the force in Islington, added: “This was of course a huge and important event for our community and Arsenal fans and we worked closely throughout the day with the local authority and other partners to plan the event.
“Our officers are back on patrol today to provide visible reassurance and our investigation teams are working hard to identify criminals and bring them to justice. We stand with our local communities against violence.”
