A number of people have been stabbed in Birmingham city centre and police have since declared a “major incident”.
West Midlands Police said they were called to reports of a stabbing at around 00:30 BST on Sunday.
A number of other stabbings were reported in the area shortly after and officers said a number of people had been injured.
A “major incident” describes any situation involving serious harm or a security risk to the public.
It also means special arrangements are in place for all of the emergency services to work together now.
Witness Cara, who was working in the area at the time as a club promoter, told the BBC it had been busier during the evening than it had been at any time since the start of lockdown.
‘People having fist fights’
She said she had finished her shift at about 00:30 BST and was drinking with colleagues when she heard a “loud bang and quite a lot of commotion”.
She added: “I found multiple people having fist fights… people from inside pubs and clubs came out and started to see what was going on.
“There were females, males, old people, young people, such a mix of people, didn’t seem real at the time.
“Working on the club scene for over two years, I’ve always seen quite a lot of fights but it was nothing like tonight. The body language and demeanour was quite different.”
The force said: “We are aware of a number of injured people, but at the moment we are not in a position to say how many or how serious.”
It said emergency services were working together at the scene, and making sure that those who were injured received medical care.
Remain ‘calm but vigilant’
The West Midlands Police statement continued: “Work is still going on to establish what has happened, and could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything.
“At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.
“The emergency services have well-rehearsed plans for dealing with major incidents. Our response is ongoing in Birmingham city centre and will be for some time. Cordons are in place, and there are some road closures.”
People are being asked to remain calm but vigilant, and to stay away from the area.
The police cordon is near the area known as the Gay Village in the centre of Birmingham, the BBC’s Simon Jones said.
Many people had been seated at outdoor tables eating and drinking on Saturday evening.
The streets in the area had already been closed to traffic due to coronavirus restrictions.
Source:Â bbc.com