A witness described the scene as something “from a horror movie,” with another claiming to have seen a man carrying out as many children as he could from the venue.
Mothers screamed in horror as young girls were brutally attacked by a knifeman during a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in Southport today.
One person, believed to be a child, was killed in the stabbing frenzy at the event held for primary school children at The Hart Space just before midday. A total of eight people were wounded in the incident.
When the horror unfolded at the hypnobirthing centre, which runs kids’ clubs during the holidays and allows children to participate in dance and craft classes, around 25 youngsters were believed to be participating in the event.
Police raced to a property on Hart Street at about 11:50 am following reports of a stabbing. Merseyside Police confirmed a man had been detained and that officers had seized a knife. The man has since been taken to a police station.
“Please avoid the area while we deal with this incident,” a Merseyside Police spokesperson said. “There is no wider threat to the public.”
The North West Ambulance Service said in a post on X/Twitter that eight patients had been treated for stab injuries. The victims have been taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Aintree University Hospital, Southport, and Formby Hospital.
Colin Parry, owner of Masters Vehicle Body Repairs on Hart Street, said he believed it was six or seven “young girls” who had been stabbed.
“The police had said [to me] there was one deceased. When I got there, there was an absolutely distraught guy, in a mess.
“He’d seen two children run out of The Hart Space, and he thought they had got hit by a car because the car was just full of blood at the side of the car. But it was actually that the children who had been stabbed had fallen into the car.
“It was apparently a guy with a black hooded top on. But he’s been arrested.”
Liverpool Echo reporter Ben Roberts-Haslam said in a post shared on X/Twitter: “One man told me he saw a man carrying ‘as many children as he could’ out of the building away from the incident.”
A witness who lived nearby and did not want to be named described the incident as “unprecedented.” She told The Mirror: “There were four or five police cars and two helicopters. It was quite busy; normally, it’s quite quiet regarding sirens and things.”
“Occasionally, you will hear sirens, but it was chaotic, to be honest,” she added. “Madness. It is not something you hear every day.”
In a post on X, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the incident in Southport was “horrendous and deeply shocking.” He said: “Horrendous and deeply shocking news emerging from Southport. My thoughts are with all those affected.
“I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their swift response. I am being kept updated as the situation develops.”
