Three injured in random knife attack at bus stop

A 10-year-old boy, an elderly woman and a man aged 31 were recovering in hospital last night after a man began randomly stabbing people in a crowded shopping street.

The attacker, who had a 12in-long knife, was being chased by police when he lunged at people in a bus queue in Brixton, south London. Police on patrol near Brixton Tube station had been told the man had a weapon. They challenged him in Electric Avenue at about 1pm yesterday, but he threatened them with the knife and ran off.

He was being chased down Brixton Road, one of the busiest streets in the area, when he stopped outside a branch of Woolworths and began stabbing people at random, injuring the boy, a woman in her 80s and a man. He then lost the knife and was arrested as he produced a second weapon.

The three victims – who are not thought to be related – were taken to King's College Hospital where they were said last night to be stable. The boy and woman had been stabbed in the back and the man had injuries to his chest and stomach.

Witnesses said the man had tried to attack other people before stabbing the three he injured. One witness, Lesley Phillips, said she saw him produce a 12in knife and lunge at a man walking in front of him.

"[The attacker] fell over as he was about to stab him. He then got straight back up, put the knife back into his pocket and calmly walked away. The knife was at least 12in long. It had a wooden handle and a serrated blade. It looked like one of those professional chef's knives," she said.

"He just had a totally blank expression. There was no emotion at all. He looked like a madman. He didn't look all there."

A security guard, Eyassu Epheraim, 36, said he saw two policemen chasing after the man. "They were trying to stop him by using some kind of spray. They were all sprinting and the police were right behind him.

"When they got to Woolworths, the crowds began to scatter. There were people running in every direction."

Another resident, Roger Stuart, said he watched from the window of his flat as the police arrested the man. He said: "I saw a police transit van pull up after hearing a noise out of my window.

"The doors were already open. The police came out with their batons. There were three people down and bleeding heavily," he said.

Jose Aukim, who lives above Woolworths, said the attacker started stabbing people when he realised he could not escape the police. He said: "People were out and about. They were just waiting for the bus, minding their own business.

"The police were trying to keep them away. I saw a few men running and trying to help the people who had been stabbed." The man was being held at Brixton police station last night after being treated for minor injuries at St Thomas' Hospital in Waterloo.

Superintendent Jerry Savill, who is in charge of operations at Brixton, said detectives had not yet established a motive for the attack.

He said: "It's an absolute mystery and appalling that anyone would resort to such savage violence and attack innocent people going about their business on a Sunday afternoon."

Supt Savill also commended his officers' bravery in arresting the man, who will be interviewed today by officers.