A woman in her 60s was allegedly stabbed to death by a thief who ‘tried to steal her handbag’ as she waited for a bus in Burnt Oak this morning – as police arrest a 22-year-old man on suspicion of murder.
Horrified locals described seeing ‘a lot of blood’ and hearing ‘a lot of shouting’ as the attack unfolded in north London at 11.50am today.
Jess Bloom, 24, who was working at the hair salon opposite, told that the woman was attacked after she tried to resist being robbed.
She said: ‘It happened at the bus stop and the woman ended up in the middle of the road.
‘The guy was trying to get her handbag but she said no and fought back. I saw her pull the handbag twice. He pulled her into the road and stabbed her three times.
A woman was allegedly stabbed to death by a man who ‘tried to steal her handbag’ as she waited for a bus in Burnt Oak this morning. Pictured: Forensice officers at the scene
Police and forensics at the scene in Burnt Oak this morning where a woman was stabbed to death
A heavy police presence at the scene in north London this morning
‘He let go of her and she dropped to the ground. She was covered in blood and his hand was red.
‘He ran off and everyone ran to the woman to help her. I heard the scream.’
‘Burnt Oak is always a rough area but I’ve lived here for 17 years and have never seen someone do that in broad daylight.
The first paramedic arrived at the scene in Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware, within two minutes, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Local resident Mohamed Ble, 47, said: ‘I saw the woman. She was stabbed in her throat, in her chin, and twice in her chest.
‘There was a lot of blood, too much blood. I heard a lot of shouting, I did not know what.
‘Then I heard the woman say: “Help me, help me.” It was in a high-pitched voice.
‘People started shouting: ‘Stop! Stop!’ at the boys. They ran away.
‘Then the ambulance came but it seemed like 30 minutes. People were trying to help her.
No arrests have been made at this time and a police cordon remains in place
The first paramedic arrived at the scene in Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware, within two minutes, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene
Jess Bloom, 24, who was working at the hair salon opposite, told that the woman was attacked after she tried to resist being robbed
‘Everybody was scared and shocked. Everybody is scared.’
A beautician, who asked not to be named, also told : ‘The first thing I knew something serious had happened was when I saw all the police. I later spoke to a lady whose mother had witnessed what happened.
‘She said that a woman had been standing at the bus stop across the road from us and someone had tried to steal her bag.
‘The thief then stabbed her a few times and ran off.
‘It’s a horrific thing to happen, this is normally a peaceful area.’
A hairdresser who also works nearby and asked to remain anonymous added: ‘I went to see what was going on and the police had taped the road off but I could see there was a body lying under sheets in the middle of the road.
‘I overheard a man give an eyewitness statement to police and tell them how he saw a man approach a woman standing at the bus stop.
‘He told the officer that he thought initially they were a couple but the man then tried to grab the woman’s bag.
‘She apparently struggled and was dragged into the road where the man stabbed her.
Pictured: A GV of Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware
Police and forensices officers at the scene where a woman was stabbed to death this morning
A police car parked outside the police cordon that was set up near the bus stop
‘When I got to the scene a medium sized brown handbag was still lying on the road near to the victim. The police were taking some interest in it.’
Local resident Fawaz Hussain said: ‘I heard a loud scream and saw a man running along the middle of the road.
‘There was a woman lying on the road by the bus stop and her handbag was nearby.
‘There was blood everywhere. We heard that it was a mugging gone wrong which is very worrying because it was the middle of the day.’
Fatima Khan, who said she was on her way to the bus stop close to where the attack took place, added: ‘I heard a very loud scream and then this man ran past me very fast. It was around mid day.
‘I didn’t know what had happened but then people were crowded around a woman who was lying on the road.
‘Her bag was nearby and there was a lot of commotion. The police and ambulance got here quite quickly.’
Police are working to identify the woman’s next of kin and a murder probe has been launched.
Detective Superintendent Tony Bellis from the North West Command Unit, responsible for policing Edgware, said: ‘This is a significant development in this investigation and comes as a result of fast-time work from specialist detectives working alongside local officers.
‘The investigation remains in its early stages, and we continue to work to establish why this incident took place, including whether the person responsible was known to the woman who died.
‘I would urge people to refrain from speculating about the circumstances while this work is ongoing.
‘A family has been left devastated by this shocking attack and my thoughts are with them at this unimaginabley difficult time.’