Westminster Bridge brawl leaves man critically ill as cops arrest four
by AIDAN RADNEDGE · Mail OnlineA brawl on Westminster Bridge has left a man critically ill as police arrested four people after an alleged attempted murder in the heart of London.
Officers swarmed Westminster Bridge after an incident witnessed by horrified tourists just metres from the Houses of Parliament - with footage shared online by London resident Akinbayo Dele and stamped AKDVIDEO appearing to show the emergency services' response.
The Metropolitan Police initially said they were dealing with a stabbing, describing it as 'an isolated incident' which was 'not being treated as terrorism'.
The force has now issued an update, saying that the man had not been stabbed but suffered a cardiac arrest, adding: 'Investigations are ongoing to determine how he came to suffer a cardiac arrest.'
Officers were called to reports of a fight on the bridge at around 10.45am today and found the man who was said to be now 'fighting for his life' after being taken to hospital in a critical condition.
A new appeal for witnesses to come forward with any information as well as CCTV or dashcam footage was announced by the Met this afternoon.
The latest alert comes amid concerns raised about rising knife crime in the capital and pressure on London mayor Sadiq Khan to do more to calm safety fears.
Some 14,500 knife crimes were recorded in London last year - amounting to almost 40 each day, and up from nearly 11,500 in the previous 12 months.
Of the 50,510 knife crime offences in England and Wales in 2023-2024, 30 per cent (14,961) were recorded by the Metropolitan Police, 10 per cent (5,268) by West Midlands Police and five per cent (2,321) by West Yorkshire Police.
When looking at the number of offences per population, West Midlands Police had the highest rate, with 178 per 100,000 people, followed by the Metropolitan Police (169 per 100,000), then Cleveland Police (137 per 100,000) and South Yorkshire Police (109 per 100,000).
After today's incident, a user of X, formerly Twitter, posted online: 'Westminster Bridge closed in both directions. Hundreds of Police at the scene with the Bridge cordoned off. What’s going on?'
The Met said in a new statement this afternoon: 'At 10:43hrs on Sunday, 24 November, police were called to reports of a fight on Westminster Bridge, SE1.
'Officers attended the scene alongside the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance, where they found a man in cardiac arrest.
'Initial reports suggested the man had been stabbed, but further enquiries have confirmed this is not the case. Investigations are ongoing to determine how he came to suffer a cardiac arrest. The man remains in hospital in a critical condition.'
Three people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and one other for affray.
Two of those arrested have been treated in hospital for head injuries, the Met said.
A road closure was put in place and the 11, 12, 148, 159 and 453 bus services were all being diverted.
Scotland Yard added in their latest statement: 'Police are particularly keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and may have witnessed the incident.
'Officers are also urging anyone with CCTV, mobile phone footage, or dashcam footage that may assist the investigation to come forward.'
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD 2468/24NOV or alternatively contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.