(USNewsBreak.com) – The rising number of mass casualties has prompted many in the US to focus on gun control as a means of reining them in for some time now. However, a recent incident in London featured a different kind of weapon. This week, authorities captured one man who allegedly went on a rampage with a sword. The suspect remains in custody, accused of killing a teenage boy.
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 30, a 36-year-old man drove a vehicle into a home in the northeast London neighborhood of Hainault. When he exited the car, he wielded a sword, slashing and stabbing at people in his general vicinity. He allegedly injured five people, one fatally. The four he injured, which included two police officers, remain hospitalized as of the time of writing. A 14-year-old boy died due to the severity of his injuries.
Authorities eventually subdued and arrested the suspect, who they have not named, and relayed that it didn’t appear to be a terrorist-related event. They advised the public that there was no ongoing threat. The suspect also doesn’t seem to have a record of any prior arrests or contact with the police.
Following the incident, London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, thanking “police officers and emergency services [who] showed the best of [the] city — running toward danger to protect others.”
My statement on the incident in Hainault this morning. pic.twitter.com/rcH5gFe62g
— Mayor of London (@MayorofLondon) April 30, 2024
Khan relayed that he was in contact with authorities, who weren’t seeking any other suspects in connection with the crime. He also urged people not to jump to conclusions or spread footage of the tragic incident on social media.
Statistics from the Office of National Statistics show that knife crime has risen. There was a 5% increase in 2023, which saw 48,716 incidences, from 2022, when there were 46,367 incidences.
Copyright 2024, USNewsBreak.com
