One man was thrown against a kerbstone then collapsed into barriers and a parked Land Rover. He staggered 60 yards further to Green Park Tube station, lurched across the road then collapsed again, bleeding heavily. An ambulance picked him up. A police officer at the scene said: "I'm not sure if he'll pull through." A trail of blood stained nearby Stratton Street. A scooter was wrecked and yet more blood was smeared down a Renault Modus.

One lorry driver who saw the battle said: "I drove round the corner to see cars coming straight at me down a one-way street. I don't know if they were getaway cars or if they were people trying to flee the fighting. They were driving like crazy things. "I pulled over, locked thecab and sat there trapped. I saw gangs of blokes knocking pieces out of each other and stabbing each other. There was blood all over the place. It was terrifying." Glamour girl Lauren said: "I couldn't believe it. We'd been having a great night celebrating my birthday. Then some guys started a fight outside afterwards... there was some rough fighting."

Staff at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel escorted frightened guests out of the back of the hotel as front doors were sealed by police. House manager Martin Newbold said: "It seems some men were lying in wait and the violence began as others left the club." Murray is in St Mary's Hospital, West London. The other two injured men, believed to be in their 30s, are also in hospital. Police