Witnesses say a pickaxe-wielding attacker went on a rampage at a hospital in northwest London, leaving two injured.
A man has been arrested after armed officers responded to calls of an incident at Central Middlesex Hospital around 1.20pm on Wednesday.
One of the victims has life-threatening injuries and a second has non-life-threatening injuries, the Metropolitan Police said.
A man was arrested outside the hospital and is receiving treatment for injuries believed to be self-inflicted. His condition is also being treated as life-threatening, police said.
Gareth Browne, a steeplejack contracted to repair the chimney at the hospital, said he saw the alleged attacker chase two men who managed to escape.
He then screamed at Mr Browne “get out of my f****** way – this is none of your business”, before running into the hospital, he added.
Mr Browne said: “He came out of the side of the building waving a pickaxe, chasing two lads about.
“I approached him and asked if he’s OK and he said ‘get out of my f****** way – it’s none of your business’.
“So I stepped out of his way and he went back into the hospital waving that pickaxe around.
“Another maintenance boy came along and said ‘he’s just stabbed somebody – get away from this place’.
“He was just going on a mad rampage.”
Visitors and patients at the hospital were temporarily locked down as police scoured the building, eventually arresting a man outside.
The incident is not being treated as terror-related.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “The hospital was temporarily locked down but has now reopened. There is a heightened police presence at the hospital while we investigate.”
Amie Ferris-Rotman, who was visiting the hospital dialysis unit with her father, told Sky News that police checked the area where they were before locking them in a nurses’ room for about 45 minutes.
She said: “All the dialysis patients were quite freaked out.
“And at one point those who were about to go on to dialysis were put on wheelchairs and brought into a room, which is where we were as well, and they were locked in.”
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‘Panicked patients hid in dialysis unit’
The London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said services would “continue as normal” after the hospital reopened at 4pm.
“While our clinics are reopening, we may need to reschedule your appointment if we can’t see you today,” it said in a tweet.
In a statement on Twitter, the London Ambulance Service said it was at the scene with paramedics and an air ambulance and hazardous environment team had also been deployed.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay tweeted: “My thoughts are with those injured and affected by the incident at Central Middlesex Hospital this afternoon.
“I would like to thank the paramedics and other first responders who have been treating people at the scene.”
