UK-KNIFEMAN STABBED FOUR WOMEN IN SAINSBURY’S CAR PARK

Police have today arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder after four women were stabbed in a packed Sainsbury's car park.

The suspect ran through a crowd of shoppers in Hampton, south-west London, and only targeted women, claiming the stabbings were 'completely unprovoked'. 

All four women were attacked in the car park as they walked or got out of their cars, suffering wounds to the legs, chest and back - one is fighting for her life in hospital.

One eyewitness described the knife attacks as 'horrific' and said one elderly woman was lying on the pavement with 'blood coming out of all different parts of her body.'

A bleeding victim hobbled to a nearby police station to raise the alarm before officers armed with Tasers arrested the knifeman.

A woman with life threatening injuries was flown to hospital by air ambulance, the rest were treated at the scene.

One Sainsbury's worker described seeing paramedics surrounding one of the victims giving urgent treatment. 

A member of staff at the nearby Hampton Pub said the knife man was only targeting women in the unprovoked attack.

The woman, who did not want to be named, added: 'It's so awful - four women have been stabbed in the car park. He only went for the women.

'The man ran through and started attacking them. It didn't seem like they knew him it was completely unprovoked.

'One lady is in very bad condition, she had to be air-ambulanced out.

'If it had been 10 or 20 minutes earlier there would have been children there because it's right outside a primary school.

'He was caught very quickly just outside the car park. He appeared to be out of it, on drugs or crazy. He must have been very angry to go out and unprovokedly stab those women.

'The woman who was badly stabbing in the back made it up to the police station and raised the alarm.

'She is well-known locally and always goes shopping there all the time.' 

Ben Brady, 30, who owns Jen's Salon next door to where one of the victims was treated, said the first victim was stabbed by the pub before the attacker moved on to another area of the car park.

'She had no idea what was going on,' he added.

Mr Brady said the man was 'waving a knife' and then approached women as they were getting out of their cars.

'I went over to see if I could help the ladies and that's when the police came.'

An eyewitness described the scene as 'horrific' and said she saw the victims lying on the floor bleeding.

She told ITV London: 'I could see bodies lying on the ground. There was an elderly lady just lying down beside the police station. I tried to help, she had the police there and paramedics.

'I could see this poor lady with blood coming out of all different parts of her body.'

She said one of the victims was her neighbour, Janice, and added: 'She was stabbed three times in the chest, back and arm.' 

A police cordon remained in place around the car park where the women were stabbed.

Several police officers were standing guard at the scene.

Blood stained clothes could be seen on the ground and a forensic officer was examining the area. One of the victims went to a police office, less than 100 yards from the car park, where she was treated.

A blood stained jacket and first aid kit were still lying on the ground surrounded by police tape outside the Hampton and Hampton North Wards police office. The car park of the Sainsbury's store backs on to a pub, youth centre, children's hospice and school. 

A resident of Partridge Road said: 'I'm appalled and absolutely horrified. It's just so scary, this is a quiet area and it's not at all what you think is going to happen in Hampton.

'It's just horrible, that poor, poor woman.'

A member of staff at Tangley Park Children's Centre, which backs onto the scene of the stabbing, said: 'We kept all the children safe and kept them in the building until we knew it was safe.

'It's just such a shock - our parents and children could have been walking to their cars at that time.

'Our sympathies go out to everyone who was hurt and we are really glad none of our families were involved.' 

The Met said police were called at around 10.35am to The Avenue in Hampton after reports of a man in possession of a knife.

The spokesman said: 'Officers attended and discovered three women suffering from knife wounds.

'The London Ambulance Service also attended and are providing treatment to the women.

'Their conditions are not thought to be life-threatening or changing at this time.

'A fourth woman who had also suffered knife wounds was subsequently located at a nearby property.

'She has been taken to hospital where her condition at this stage is thought to be life-threatening.'

The spokesman added: 'At this early stage, the incident is not believed to be terror-related.' 

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said that the car park doesn't belong to Sainsbury's, but rather is council owned and offers parking for visitors to the shops and the community centre in the area.

Danni Fitzpatrick, a supervisor at the nearby Hampton Pub, said police had told her four people had been stabbed.

She also reported a 'tall man' had been apprehended by police officers at the scene.