Chaos unravelled in the UK’s capital on Saturday after a car drove into a group of men fighting outside of a mosque. The group, who were reportedly carrying knives, were knocked to the ground after a vehicle ploughed into them. Footage circulating online shows four men brawling outside of the London Central Mosque.
In the video, two of the men were knocked down as the other two carrying weapons slashed at them with knives while they were on the floor. Horrified onlookers were seen pleading for the violence to stop as traffic on the street came to a standstill. National Express coaches, buses and other vehicles had their journeys interrupted while the fight continued in the middle of the day. One man was found at the scene with stab wounds, while another man, aged 30, has been arrested on suspicion of affray in connection to the brawl.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Met Police received multiple reports of a large disturbance on Park Road, NW8, at around 15.48 on Saturday, September 27.
“A group of men were witnessed fighting in the road before being involved in a collision with a single vehicle.
“Officers responded, and one man was located with stab injuries. His injuries are not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening.
“A 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of affray. He remains in custody and inquiries are ongoing.”
Just last month, Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, announced that knife crime in the capital was reportedly down by 19% between April and June this year, compared to the same period last year.
However, the Office for National Statistics revealed that London accounted for a third of all knife crime across the UK, with rates increasing in the city by 9% in 2024.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London has previously said: “Nothing is more important to the Mayor than keeping Londoners safe and he is determined to continue leading from the front to build a safer London for all.”
They added: “The Mayor is determined to build on this progress – his record £1.16bn funding has secured 935 police officers and he has worked closely with the Commissioner to increase the number of police officers on the beat in the West End, plus additional police officers working in new or enhanced town centre teams in hotspot areas.
“Despite years of austerity by the previous government, this is the latest example of the Met Police and Mayor prioritising what Londoners want and delivering on their pledge to put high visibility policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding community confidence and trust.”
