WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Merseyside police shared an update on the teenager’s condition
Police at the scene of an assault on Whitechapel in Liverpool city centre this evening
Blood spatters covered the ground where shoppers tended to a collapsed teenager who had been repeatedly slashed by a gang. The 17-year-old boy staggered onto Whitechapel in Liverpool’s city centre after he was attacked on nearby Williamson Street at around 6.40pm yesterday, Monday, December 30.
Merseyside Police reported the victim was taken to hospital for treatment of multiple slash wounds after he was set upon by a number of males. The force’s most recent update said the boy was in a stable condition in hospital. The force erected multiple cordons outside the Metquarter, as well as the entrance to the Cavern Quarter and sections of the surrounding streets.
When the ECHO revisited the scene this morning all the cordons had been removed and there were no officers in the area. However, blood spatters covered the ground outside the Mobile Hub phone repair store. Last night pictures taken by the ECHO showed a pile of bloodied tissues and a coat where the teen collapsed.
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The ECHO understands the teenage victim was treated by members of the public before the police and paramedics arrived at the scene. An employee at the Mobile Hub store told the ECHO this morning: “I was dealing with a customer at the time. I was with them and things happened outside.
“Many people came around the shop and I thought what’s going on. Then I went outside and saw the blood. The blood is still out there. I’m still waiting for my partner to come so I can go and clean it. The boy was bleeding – there was a lot of blood. Everyone was saying don’t touch him but someone brought their jacket to stop the bleeding from his head.
“He was bleeding from his head, neck and back. Police came after around 10 minutes. It was horrible. They didn’t allow us to go outside. We were stuck until around 10pm. Every other shop was closed but we had to stay.”
The incident sparked an extensive police response, with officers closing significant parts of the city centre. A police helicopter was spotted overhead, while police forensic teams worked inside the cordons. Police have currently not made any arrests in connection with the incident.
Blood spatters in Liverpool city centre after a teenager was stabbed (Image: Liverpool Echo)
Merseyside Police Chief Inspector Andy Hughes said: “We are in the very early stages of this investigation and officers remain at the scene to establish the circumstances of what happened. This was a serious assault which could easily have led to even more serious consequences for the victim, who is thankfully recovering in hospital.
“We are determined to find those responsible and we will always take positive action whenever we receive information on the possession and use of knives and other weapons in the communities of Merseyside. If you were in the area of Whitechapel earlier this evening and saw or captured anything, please let us know. The smallest detail could prove vital.
“Knife crime has no place on the streets of Merseyside and we will continue to do everything in our powers to combat it, bring offenders to justice and remove weapons from our streets, so please come forward and tell us what you know. If you have any information about this incident, you can call 101 or DM @MerPolCC, quoting log number 776 of 30th December. You can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”