Boy, 16, stabbed by attacker 'carrying foot-long machete' in first London teen killing of 2020

Louis Johnson, 16, suffered a fatal wound in a 40-second eruption of “senseless” violence inside East Croydon station
NIGEL HOWARD ©
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Witnesses today described panicked scenes after a teenage boy was stabbed to death in front of commuters at a London train station.

Louis Johnson, 16 , suffered a fatal wound in a 40-second eruption of “senseless” violence inside East Croydon station just after 4.30pm yesterday.

He was attacked on a footbridge over the platforms and staggered down stairs before collapsing near a ticket barrier, witnesses said.

Despite the efforts of paramedics and the London Air Ambulance he was pronounced dead at the scene a short while later.

His attacker was reportedly carrying a foot-long machete and fled into the crowds, possibly escaping on a train.

The incident took place at East Croydon railway station
PA

Witnesses said two women who apparently knew the victim were allowed through to see him as he lay dying.

Barista Marie Jandova, 20, said: “I had just got off the train when I heard lots of screaming … it didn’t sound human.

“I turned round and his face was full of blood, he tried to get away but he fell over. Everyone was panicking and running.

“First I thought he was just hit in the face in a fight, but then I saw cuts.

“It looked like his friends were there. They were running towards him and the security let them past. A younger girl was running up to him.”

Forensic officers at the scene after the attack
NIGEL HOWARD ©

Louis is the first teenager to be stabbed to death this year after 2019 saw 25 knife killings, an 11-year high in the capital.

A witness wrote on Facebook: “I was passed by someone with a machete when walking up to East Croydon station. As I reached the top of the stairs there was blood everywhere and a lad slumped in the ticket office by the barriers.”

Detective Chief Inspector Sam Blackburn, of British Transport Police, said: “This was a senseless killing at an extremely busy time of the day, and my thoughts are with Louis’s family.

“For such a young man to lose his life in these circumstances is truly devastating, and I would like to reassure everyone that a thorough investigation is well under way. We continue to appeal for anyone with information to get in touch as a matter of urgency.

Police said the attack was over in 40 seconds
Twitter / @M_CPFC

“The incident was over within a matter of 40 seconds, but I know many other passengers or members of the public would have seen what happened. If you have not already spoken with police, please get in touch.”

The station was open today but the footbridge was sealed off as forensic science officers search for clues.

Croydon Central MP Sarah Jones, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on knife crime, said: “This brutal loss of a young life is another reminder that tackling violence must be our highest priority at every level of government and across our communities.

"I will not stop campaigning on this until our children are safe on our streets.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact BTP by calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 395 of 27/01/2020.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in