London gang smashed car with hammer then dragged driver out and stabbed him with meat cleaver

Police are on the hunt for a gang of three who stabbed a man multiple times in east London after dragging him from his car, which they prised opened with the help of a hammer.

The attack took place in broad daylight on the busy streets in Bethnal Green on Friday (4 August) at around 7.30pm. Witnesses reported seeing the victim being chased by the armed men and stabbed with a weapon resembling a meat cleaver.

An eyewitness told the East London Advertiser: "It was a shock to see this in broad daylight on a busy road with so much traffic around. The gang didn't care who saw them.

"I saw the man being chased with blood on his back. it looked like he had been slashed with a meat cleaver."

The driver was stabbed on Old Bethnal Green Road but police believe the ambush may have begun in nearby Clare Street.

The man was rushed to hospital after sustaining injuries from the bladed weapon but his injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.

No weapons were found at the crime scene and police are now pleading for any information that leads to identifying the assailants.

A spokesperson for the Met said: "Police were called at 19:28hrs on Friday, 4 August to reports of a stabbing in Old Bethnal Green Road, E2.

"Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and found a man, aged in his 20s, suffering from stab injuries.

"He was taken to an east London hospital. His injuries are not life-threatening. Officers searched the area but no suspects were found.

"It is believed the incident could have taken place in nearby Clare Street where the victim was in a car which was attacked with a suspected hammer by two or three unknown men.

"Officers from Tower Hamlets CID are investigating. No arrests have been made. Enquiries continue."