A high street has been closed off after a man was seen brandishing a knife in a flat above shops in south east London. Footage posted on social media showed him leaning out of the window with what appeared to be a kitchen knife, as well as waving it around inside the flat. The apartment is on the third floor of a building, the ground floor of which is a row of shops. Lewisham High Street remained closed off on Monday afternoon, and armed police could be seen on standby near the scene.
The incident unfolded metres away from Lewisham police station. The Metropolitan Police said officers are working to find out whether anyone else is in the flat. A food retailer at Lewisham Market said the stand-off had been going on since late morning.. “It’s a waiting game,” she said. “He’s hiding himself around the corner because he knows they’re pointing guns at him,” the woman, who did not want to be named said.“At first nobody knew what was going on.
“They keep moving the police cordon back,” she added. A branch of HSBC opposite closed as a precaution, and the bank said no customers or staff were involved. A spokesman for the Met said: “Police were called to a disturbance on Lewisham High Street, at around 10.45am on Monday. “Officers are currently in attendance at the scene alongside the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade.
