'I can't get his face out my head': Man's shock after seeing Hainault sword attack on school boy

A neighbour who saw the attack told ITV News that the teenage boy who was stabbed "never put a foot wrong"

An eyewitness has told ITV News of his "shock" after seeing a man wielding a sword attack a teenage boy, in Hainault, London.

The boy, 14, died later in hospital, the Metropolitan Police said.

James Fernando says he saw the boy lying in the middle of the road, as his neighbours "screamed to run".

Before the attack, at around 7am on Tuesday, he was watching from his window, when he saw a grey van stop on Laing Close and a man get out.

Mr Fernando said the man "seemed calm at first" and was speaking on the phone when he approached a woman in the street asking where he was.

The woman "moved away from him and started running," Mr Fernando told ITV News.

As she was running Mr Fernado saw her "warn one of the other neighbours," - who he described to ITV News as a "young boy".

Boy, 14, killed in sword attack while on his way to school
Police at the scene in Hainault Credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA

Mr Fernando added: "But as he turned around he pulled a knife from his trousers and struck the side of the boy's face."

"Then the police came, he [the boy] was on the floor, the officers were chasing him [the attacker] around for four five minutes...

"I walked back inside - the neighbours were shouting there's a sword, be careful, come back inside."

The Metropolitan Police declared a critical incident this morning, after officers were initially called to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house.

The force said the suspect is understood to have attacked two members of the public and two police officers who now need surgery.

A witness to the Hainault attacks said there appeared to be a stand-off between police and the suspect in an alleyway Credit: X/@petekingdom

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

The Met said it is not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and it is not believed to be terror-related.

The London Ambulance Service said it treated five people at the scene and all five were taken to hospital.

"I was in shock, you don't think something like that is going to happen on your doorstep," Mr Fernando said.

"It's more sadness now than shock but I can't seem to get the boys face out my head," he said.

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