Man stabbed four people ‘like a serial killer’ in attack at Argos warehouse

A balaclava-clad man went on a knife rampage stabbing four people “like a serial killer” in a daytime attack at an Argos warehouse in south London.

Workers told how they fought off the attacker, 30, with a fire extinguisher as he rampaged through the distribution centre in Beddington, near Croydon, on Thursday morning.

The man was later arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm as four men were taken to hospital with stab wounds.

Workers told reporters at the scene that the man tricked a security guard into letting him into the warehouse before he started stabbing at employees inside “like a serial killer” with an 8in “Rambo knife”.

Joseph Denton, 29, told of how he and his colleagues used a fire extinguisher to prevent the attacker forcing his way into an office where they were hiding.

“He got to the door before I could shut it and he got half of his body through, and was stabbing at me in my chest, and I was deflecting it,” he said.

“He sliced my finger open and got a couple other cuts on my arms, and then basically fought him off there.

“As I pushed him out, he fell and I caught his ankle in the door, and I was squashing his ankles so he couldn’t get back up, at which point I picked up a fire extinguisher and opened the door and hit him on the head with it.

“There was about six of us all attacking him at this point, and then he ran off.”

Mr Denton, from Rayleigh, Essex, added: “He stabbed two people in the chest, one had a big gash in his arm. I think someone in the side as well.”

Other witnesses hailed a security guard as a “hero” for stopping the attack.

“It was horrific, just carnage,” one told the Metro newspaper. “The security guard was a hero. The attacker claimed he worked at Argos but he did it to trick his way through the security gate. I’ve heard the security guard is going to be OK.”

Another said: “A security guard confronted him and tackled him and was stabbed. Then more men staff tried to help and three more were stabbed.”

The Metropolitan Police said the suspect was arrested “within an hour” on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon, before he was later taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

A total of four men – one in his 50s, another in his 30s and two in their 20s – who police said “knew” the attacker, were also treated in hospital for non life-threatening injuries.

Two workers at the warehouse said at the scene that the arrested man was a former employee.

Chief Supt Andy Brittain, local policing commander for south London, said: “Officers responded quickly and arrested the suspect within an hour. An investigation is now under way.

“Based on initial enquiries we believe all those involved knew each other. Therefore we do not believe there is any wider risk to the public.”

A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 10.21am this morning to reports of a stabbing incident in Marlowe Way, Croydon.

“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, an incident response officer, members of our tactical response unit and London’s Air Ambulance.

“Our crews treated five patients at the scene, before taking one to a London major trauma centre and four to other hospitals.”

An Argos spokesman said: “We’re doing everything we can to support the teams on-site and gathering as much information as possible to support the police with their investigation.”