An elderly man was stabbed to death while riding on his mobility scooter in west London on Tuesday afternoon, following a weekend of bloody attacks throughout the British capital.
UPDATE 1445: Police release picture of the suspect:
Police were called to the scene of a stabbing in Greenford, a suburb of the west London town of Ealing at around 4 pm on Tuesday afternoon. A man, believed to be in his 80s, was found suffering from stab wounds. Despite efforts to revive the elderly man, he died of his injuries on the spot.
According to a report from the BBC, the fatal stabbing marks the sixth murder investigation launched by the Metropolitan Police in the past four days. There have been no arrests at the time of this reporting in relation to the Ealing stabbing.
Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson, lead for policing in Ealing, said: “This is an awful incident that will understandably cause considerable alarm to people locally and across London. Our thoughts are with the elderly victim.
“We are supporting our colleagues in Specialist Crime as they work to understand what has happened and identify who is responsible for this horrific crime.
“The support of the public is crucial. Police and the community must work together to identify violent offenders and remove them from our streets.”
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said: “ The elderly victim, who was riding a mobility scooter, was in the area at the time. If you saw the victim, or captured anyone acting suspiciously in the area, it is imperative that you make contact.”
Speaking to the BBC, a local resident said: “It’s not nice, it’s normally quiet here. It’s out of the way.
“I feel sorry for his family – I’m not entirely shocked with the amount of stabbing you hear on the news.”
The stabbing follows a spate of violent attacks over the past few days in London, with five stabbings recorded between Saturday and Monday, including a fatal knife attack in the popular central London shopping area of Oxford Street. The same tourist hub was also subjected to mass looting over the weekend by gangs of hooded youths, who raided multiple shops.
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