Gang fight shuts main London Hospitals A&E for six hours !

A fight erupted in the grounds of a London hospital after a man was stabbed to death and another injured in a suspected gang attack.

Two police officers were hurt as they tried to intervene in a dispute involving the friends and family of the dead man. A woman constable is believed to have suffered broken ribs.

The disturbance forced police to seal off Ealing General Hospital's Accident and Emergency department for about six hours yesterday.

At about 1pm police were called to Willow Tree Lane in Hayes, where they found a 21-year-old suffering stab wounds after a suspected gang attack. He was taken to Ealing hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

An hour later, as members of the dead man's family and friends gathered outside the hospital, police were called again to reports of a disturbance.

At the same time a 28-year-old man arrived at the hospital suffering from stab wounds which police believe were inflicted during the fight in Hayes.

He was treated but later released and is now under arrest on suspicion of murder.

Up to 30 members of the dead man's family and friends had gathered outside the hospital when the disturbance erupted.

At first it appeared that the 28-year-old man had been stabbed near the hospital in retaliation for the murder.

One man, who refused to be named, said: “We have lost somebody we loved very much. You cannot imagine how we feel.”

The Accident and Emergency department was closed to walk-in patients until the early evening.

At the original incident on Willow Tree Lane, locals said they believed that the dead man was stabbed up to eight times. One resident, who did not want to be named, said: “In the past five years this area has become terrible. I'm afraid to leave my home some nights.

“These gangs are everywhere and are always fighting. Who knows what weapons they are carrying?

“There was some sort of fight on Wednesday night. People were chasing each other around the streets with dogs. Today's stabbing may well have been linked to that.”

A police spokesman said: “We were called at 1.05pm to Willow Tree Lane to reports of a fight and we found a man, believed to be 21, suffering stab wounds at the scene. He was taken to hospital and pronounced dead.

“At 2pm we were called to Ealing Hospital where a man of 28 had attended with stab wounds. He has been arrested in connection with the Willow Tree Lane incident.”

Police today said that two other men aged 29 and 30 and two women aged 24 and 26 had also been arrested in connection with the killing.A massive gang knife fight erupted in the grounds of a London hospital after a man was stabbed to death.

The battle forced police to seal off Ealing General Hospital's Accident and Emergency department for about six hours yesterday after a revenge gang attack outside the building.

At about 1pm police were called to Willow Tree Lane in Hayes, where they found a 21-year-old suffering stab wounds after a suspected gang attack. He was taken to Ealing Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

An hour later, as members of the dead man's family and friends gathered outside the hospital, police were called again to reports of a disturbance.

A second man, 27, was admitted to the hospital with stab wounds.

He is in a stable condition but has been moved to a separate hospital to avoid any further confrontations and has since been arrested over the killing on Willow Tree Lane.

Hospital sources yesterday said that the second man was stabbed in the hospital car park during what seemed to be a "retaliatory attack" for the earlier killing.

Up to 30 members of the dead man's family and friends remained outside the hospital following the disturbance in which a female police officer suffered a suspected broken rib.

One man, who said he was the victim's cousin, said: "This was absolutely disgusting."

Another man, who refused to be named, said: "We have lost somebody we loved very much. You cannot imagine how we feel."

Mark Benjamin, 41, who lives opposite the hospital, said: "It looks like this was just a tit-for-tat revenge attack for the earlier stabbing. I heard that a man was stabbed near the hospital by members of a gang. It is so sad for the local community when something like this happens."

The Accident and Emergency department was closed to all walk-in patients until the early evening.

At the original incident on Willow Tree Lane, locals said they believed that the victim was stabbed up to eight times. One resident, who did not want to be named, said: "In the past five years this area has become terrible. I'm afraid to leave my home some nights.

"These gangs are everywhere and are always fighting. Who knows what weapons they are carrying?

"There was some sort of fight on Wednesday night. People were chasing each other around the streets with dogs. Today's stabbing may well have been linked to that."

A police spokesman said: "We were called at 1.05pm to Willow Tree Lane to reports of a fight and we found a man, believed to be 21, suffering stab wounds at the scene. He was taken to hospital and pronounced dead.

"At 2pm we were called to Ealing Hospital where a man of 27 had attended with stab wounds. He is in a stable condition at a separate hospital.

"He has been arrested in connection with the Willow Tree Lane incident."

Police sources today said that two other men and a woman have also been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing.

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NWN: What the newspaper report fails to mention, but the picture clearly indicates, is the racial origin of the criminals.