West End Lane, West Hampstead - Man carrying Samurai sword weapons, arrested after police warning to stay indoors

Published: 10 March 2011
by JAMIE WELHAM

ARMED police warned residents to stay indoors after reports that a man had been seen running through West Hampstead with a Samurai sword.

The alarm was raised after a man was seen on West End Lane carrying two swords on Saturday night following an alleged assault in which passers-by said a man was headbutted.

Police followed witnesses to a flat where they believed he was hiding out and found traces of blood at the property. It is understood the suspect managed to slip away from officers while they erected a cordon around the block of flats, evading them until he was later arrested at St Mary’s hospital in Paddington. 

They searched accident and emergency wards at nearby hospitals and found a 33-year-old man suffering from cuts to his hand. He was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily arm and possession of an offensive weapon after police found the swords discarded near the scene. The man has been released on bail while police continue their investigation. A Camden Police spokeswoman said enquiries were ongoing and that they had yet to trace the victim of the alleged assault.

West End Lane was cordoned off by police at the junction of Sumatra Road from around 9.30pm.