Old Street stabbing leaves man in his 20s in hospital as Bunhill councillors call for 'urgent action'
Lucas Cumiskey
The man was stabbed near City Express supermarket in Old Street. Picture: Google StreetView - Credit: Archant
A man was stabbed four times outside an Old Street supermarket in the early hours of this morning.
Police were called at about 5.30am to reports of a man suffering from knife wounds outside City Express, near the junction with St Luke's Close.
Medics put the man, in his 20s, in an ambulance and drove him to the Royal London Hospital where his injuries are being assessed. They are not thought to be life-threatening. Police have yet to make any arrests.
A crime scene remained in place this afternoon – and Bunhill councillors, among the first to hear of the incident, today called for urgent action to to "tackle the national crisis".
Cllr Claudia Webbe (Lab, Bunhill) told this paper: "My thoughts are with the victim, family and friends.
"This mindless violence that continues to plague our inner-city areas like Bunhill and Islington is totally unacceptable. Urgent action is needed by government to tackle such violence, that's happening far too often, on a scale that's precedented.
"It's a national crisis."
Fellow Labour councillor Phil Graham, who had just visited the crime scene, added: "I got told at 5.30am that someone had been stabbed four times outside City Express supermarket. And the London Ambulance Service [LAS] took him.
"The crime scene is still up. The problem is awful but none of us are shocked and that's the sad thing about it. It's disgusting and it's shouldn't be the new normal. It's very upsetting."
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "We were called at 5.23am to reports of a stabbing in Old Street.
"We sent an ambulance crew and three paramedics in fast response cars to the scene. We also dispatched an advanced trauma team consisting of a paramedic and a doctor in London's Air Ambulance response car.
"We treated a man at the scene and took him to a major trauma centre as a priority."
A crime scene remained in place this afternoon.
This attack comes after 47-year-old Steve Brown was fatally stabbed in Matthias Road, Newington Green, on Wednesday evening.
Former St Mary Magdalene Academy pupil Nedim Bilgin, 17, was stabbed to death in Caledonian Road in January.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting reference number CAD 1324 of April 22.