Man arrested after stabbing incident in coffee shop in Derbyshire town

The incident is understood to have happened at around 10am on the Costa Coffee branch in King’s Street, Belper.

Eye-witnesses described the man entering the store and stabbing the victim in the neck. At the time of reporting, there was a significant police presence at the scene where the man was arrested a short distance away.

One witness to the incident, who asked not to be named, said: “It was pandemonium. He just walked into the cafe and stabbed him. There was blood everywhere. It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Paramedics also arrived a short time later.

The condition of the victim is not known at this time.

Witnesses also described the alleged offender acting in an “erratic manner” in Derwent Street, close to Belper Library, shortly before the incident.

They described a trail of blood leading from Derwent Street into the town centre and officers were also spotted in Derwent street examining a denim jacket that appeared to have been abandoned outside the library.

Derbyshire Police have issued the following statement on the inident: “At around 10am this morning, Saturday 16 September, we received reports of a man causing damage and an assault on King Street in Belper.

“Officers attended and remain in the town and are piecing together the circumstances and speaking to witnesses. A number of cordons on King Street are in place and some businesses are affected.

“A man has been arrested and is in police custody. At this time we are treating as an isolated incident and do not believe there is any further threat to the public.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact us quoting incident number 367 of 16 September.”