Southport attack witnesses describe horrific scenes

In Southport, a shocking incident occurred during a dance class themed around the popular singer Taylor Swift. Eyewitnesses described the scene as horrific, with one local nurse, Joanne Newman, stating, 'Nobody can believe it. ' The attack involved a knife and resulted in injuries to several children and adults. Due to the severity of the situation, a nearby children's hospital declared a major incident. Two adults were critically injured in the attack. Colin Parry, the owner of Masters Vehicle Body Repairs, which is located next to the dance class, first noticed something was wrong when a young man wearing a face mask refused to pay a taxi driver. Mr. Parry and a customer confronted the man, who defiantly asked them, 'What are you going to do? ' before walking away. Later, a 17-year-old boy from Banks in Lancashire was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. After returning to work, Mr. Parry received a call from an employee who had gone to the building next door after hearing children scream in a way that was not typical of playful children. Mr. Parry rushed outside and was met with a shocking sight: young children were bleeding and in distress. He described the scene as 'mayhem' and said, 'It was the worst thing I’ve seen ever in my life. ' He expressed his disbelief and sorrow, asking, 'Why? Why would you do these things to these kids? It's horrific. ' Many mothers arrived on the scene, screaming in panic, and Mr. Parry compared the chaos to a scene from a horror movie. Multiple witnesses reported seeing young children bleeding in the street after the stabbings. Photos taken after the attack showed police cordoning off the area and numerous emergency service vehicles and personnel responding to the crisis. Forensic workers were also seen wearing white hazmat suits as they began their investigation. Tim Johnson, a journalist with Eye on Southport, arrived about 20 minutes after the police were called and witnessed a young girl being taken away on a stretcher. He recalled, 'Her parents were running after her. It was horrendous. I’ve never seen anything like it. ' He noted that ambulance workers were visibly upset, with many people in tears on the streets. Ryan Carney, a local resident, shared that his mother was at home when she heard the screams and cries coming from the street. She went outside and saw a woman trying to get through the police cordon to find her child. One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that his daughter was present during the attack but managed to escape. He was relieved that she was safe but mentioned that she was left 'traumatised' by the experience. Therapy nurse Joanne Newman, who lives in the area, rushed out of work after hearing about the incident from a friend. She confirmed that her daughters were unharmed, but one of them had heard a 'sinister scream' around the time of the attack. 'Nobody can believe it. All the local mums have checked in with one another,' she said. She also mentioned that she had been comforting the mothers of the injured children, expressing the difficulty of understanding such a tragic event. 'How do you even comprehend? There’s nothing you can do,' she added. The community is left in shock as they try to process the events of that day.