A large cordon has been set up in Leicester city centre following reports of a stabbing incident, which has seen dozens of police officers and canine units swarm the scene
A person has been reportedly stabbed in a busy UK city centre with police rushing to the scene and dogs appearing to search the area.
A large cordon was set up in Leicester city centre following reports of the stabbing incident, which has seen dozens of police officers and canine units swarm to the location. Residents reported hearing shouts of “armed police” as the incident unfolded yesterday evening. Leicestershire Police are yet to confirm the circumstances of what happened, which locals have said was a stabbing.
The roads around Alexander Street in the city centre are affected by the cordon, which has been extended after the reported stabbing that is believed to have happened around 8pm on Wednesday.
The incident occurred close to a block of student housing, The Arches on nearby All Saints Road, where a cordon is also in place. Two international students told LeicestershireLive that someone had been brutally stabbed with “a very long knife,” adding: “The area is very peaceful and all about love, this is the first time that this has happened. We are so scared.”
Another resident at The Arches apartment block described the scale of the police presence on Wednesday evening. She said: “I got off the bus at 7.30pm and could see lots of police, people shouting and even armed police. We’ve never had any trouble here, so I feel scared that something has happened, especially at 7.30pm. A real shock.”
And this morning another student told how they woke up to see the police cordon in place. “I’m here for university, this is the first I’m hearing about any of this,” the student said.
Some sections of pedestrian footpath in the area have also been blocked off but a more comprehensive cordon has now been brought in with several roads having been reopened and Jarvis Street is no longer restricted.
As the incident unfolded last night locals saw more police resources arriving and deployed to the scene on Alexander Street, where a major investigation appears to be taking place.
Following the earlier reports of an armed response, canine units have been seen searching the area. Police officers were also seen searching the ground and nearby bushes with torches. While the incident remains unclear, pictures from the scene also appear to show some damage visible inside the cordon. A glass door, just behind the cordon on Alexander Street, has been completely smashed in.
