A shocking scene of two teens fighting with a knife and a sword on a double-decker London bus terrified rush-hour passengers on Thursday and shocked social media users.
A few seconds of footage show two young people, sporting black coats and face coverings, fighting with a machete and long metal bar, while a third one can be seen swinging a sword.
According to witnesses, the fight lasted for a few minutes before a gang fled the bus.
“The kids with the knives came on the bus in Streatham. I couldn't believe it was happening. They left after about five minutes of back-and-forth,” a person who managed to capture the brutal exchange on camera said, as quoted by British media outlets.
Witnesses said that the bus driver stopped the vehicle and called the police. However, the officers didn’t arrive until the troublemakers had fled.
“Police were called at 4.41pm on February 3 to reports of a fight on board a bus in the area of Telford Avenue, SW2. Officers attended but all of those involved had fled prior to their arrival. There were no reported injuries. There have been no arrests and enquiries continue,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
The video quickly went viral on social media, with some users expressing their frustration over rising crime levels in London and others criticizing the city authorities over the apparently worsening security situation in the capital. Last year was the worst on record for teenage homicides in London.