Notting Hill Carnival in London turned into a deadly event when a young man was stabbed to death resulting in about 200 attendees getting arrested.
Notting Hill Carnival is one of the most anticipated carnivals in London and attracts thousands of attendees from across the globe as it is always jam-packed because of live performances, music, and other entertainment segments.
The carnival was announced to be held between 27th August to 29th August and was conducted in full throttle like 2019 after taking the mandatory pandemic break in 2020 and 2021. But this year’s carnival was maligned with death, frenzied attendees getting arrested, and sexual assault attempts.
According to the organizers, the event had a smaller turnout as compared to the previous carnivals but soon it turned into a chaotic event.
The London Metropolitan Police revealed that it arrested 209 people which included 36 for drug possession, 27 for offenses in public, 33 for weapons and ammunition possession, and 8 for sexual assaults. Additional 35 people were arrested for “other” law-abiding activities that included drunk driving, possession of substances that were termed psychoactive, criminal damages, robbery, and theft.
The Metropolitan Police released a statement stating that a 21-year-old attendee of the carnival was stabbed to death around 8 p.m on Monday. He was on the location of the high-profile carnival that takes place in the upscale neighborhood of Notting Hill where the 1999 rom-com featuring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant was shot.
The young man was rushed to the hospital however “despite the best efforts of medical staff, he was pronounced dead.”
The Notting Hill Carnival has been taking place at this same location since 1966. It shows solidarity and strength among the Caribbean communities of London.
The hundreds of arrests led the commander of local policing Alison Heydari to pin Met’s special crime command to send in homicide detectives for an investigation.
“Officers from across the Met have been working tirelessly over the past two days to ensure that all those who came to Notting Hill Carnival could enjoy the experience safely,” she said in a statement.
“Regrettably, on Monday evening we saw a number of violent incidents and a 21-year-old man has lost his life.”
The Met’s Specialist Crime Command will “pursue every possible line of inquiry to identify those responsible and bring them to justice,” “There were hundreds of people in the immediate vicinity when this incident took place.” Heydari stated.
