Police respond to ‘serious incident’ in Reading town centre
Two air ambulances and several police vehicles have responded to a "serious incident" in a park in Reading town centre, where multiple people are thought to have been stabbed this evening.
Footage on social media shows four people lying on the floor of Forbury Gardens as they are helped by police and witnesses who perform CPR.
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."
Freelance journalist Claire Gould, 33, 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.
Please stay clear of the town centre. The police are dealing with a major incident. We will update you once we know more. https://t.co/BHOC4TGCGl
— ReadingCouncil (@ReadingCouncil) June 20, 2020
Thames Valley Police said on Twitter: "We are aware of reports of an incident in Forbury Gardens, Reading.
"Officers are on the scene and investigating the incident."
A Black Lives Matter protest had taken place at the park earlier in the day.
