Two people have been rushed to Royal Berkshire Hospital with stab wounds, while a man has been arrested.
A man has been arrested and multiple people have been rushed to hospital following a stabbing at a park in Reading, Thames Valley Police has confirmed.
The incident took place near near Forbury Gardens, a park in the town centre, at around 7pm on Saturday.
In a statement, Thames Valley Police said: “Officers arrested a man at the scene who is now in police custody.
“A number of people sustained injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment.
“There is a police cordon in place at Forbury Gardens and we would ask that the public avoid the area while officers are on scene.
“We would ask members of the public not to share images or videos of the incident on social media, but instead to report these to the police.
“We would ask that anyone with information relating to this incident contacts Thames Valley Police by calling 999, quoting reference 1159 20/6.”
BLM organisers said the violence was not connected to the protest.
Anyone who wants to try and link the horrific stabbing in #forburygardens in Reading to the #blm protest today – the protest ended two hours ago. Source: Forbury gardens is literally 10 minutes walk from my house. Keep your racist comments out of this tragedy, thanks. #rdguk
— Charlie Bond (@misscharliebond) June 20, 2020
A Black Lives Matter protest had been held at the park but finished two hours before the incident, which was reported at around 7pm.
Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted: “Deeply concerned to hear reports of an incident in Reading.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved, including police and emergency responders at the scene.”
Freelance journalist Claire Gould, who lives near the scene, told the PA news agency she saw the emergency air ambulance vehicles land on the nearby Kings Meadow as a police helicopter circled overhead.
She described hearing lots of sirens and said surrounding roads and a retail park had been cordoned off by officers.
The leader of Reading council, Jason Brock, tweeted: “Concerning reports from Reading town centre – please stay clear of the area as Police are dealing with a serious incident.”
The National Police Chief’s Council tweeted: “Please avoid speculation or sharing of video or images of the serious incident in Reading. An investigation will be ongoing.”
Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, described the stabbings as “very concerning”. He urged people to listen to the NPCC and not share footage of the incident that has been circulated online.
