London sword attack: 14-year-old killed, 4 injured by man on stabbing spree

A man wielding a large sword attacked several people in an east London suburb Tuesday morning, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four others.

A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene and is in police custody, the Metropolitan Police announced.

Police received calls around 7 a.m. local time reporting that a vehicle had been driven into a house in the suburb of Hainault, and that people had been stabbed. Video of the terrifying incident shows a man wearing a yellow hoodie holding a long sword walking in the residential area.

The attacker was tasered and apprehended within 22 minutes of the first call to police, Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell said during a Tuesday press conference.

Within those 22 minutes, the attacker stabbed five people. A 14-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries but he “sadly died shortly afterwards,” Bell said.

Two other members of the public were injured and are currently in the hospital. Their injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening.

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Two police officers were also stabbed and suffered significant injuries requiring surgery.

1:09 London sword attack: Teen killed, 4 injured by man on stabbing spree

“I want to reiterate that at present we do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the wider community,” Bell said, noting that police do not believe the attack to be “terror-related.”

“I commend the incredible bravery of our officers and the other emergency services who raced to the scene this morning,” Bell added.

The parents of the 14-year-old boy who died are being supported by specially trained Met officers through this “unimaginably difficult time,” Bell said.

“The events of this morning are truly horrific and I cannot begin to imagine how all those affected must be feeling.”

Few details about the attack, including the suspect’s identity or a potential motive, have been released. Police say they are in the “very early stages” of the investigation.

Met police held a second press conference Tuesday afternoon and revealed that the 36-year-old man was injured after his van crashed into a home in Hainault. He is currently in the hospital and police are unable to speak with him, the BBC reports. He has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Police added that the man was not previously known to police and there is no record of prior arrests, “but we will continue to make enquiries,” Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe said.