“Armley has got worse” were the words of a Leeds grandmother who woke up to a huge crime scene near her home after a man was stabbed last night.
A huge police cordon remained in place in Town Street this morning (Tuesday) as West Yorkshire Police launched an attempted murder investigation.
It comes after a 29-year-old man was stabbed in his “neck, back and chest” last night.
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Officers were called to the scene by Yorkshire Ambulance Service at around 10.49pm after the man was found seriously injured.
A spokesperson for the force said the victim had been assaulted by another man during an altercation in Town Street, near to the junctions with Branch Road and Wesley Road at about 10.40pm.
In an update, police said the victim remains in “critical but stable condition in intensive care.”
People in the Armley community were shocked to hear news of another stabbing, believing it is the third in three months.
Life-long residents spoke of how it used to be a “lovely” place to live but added things had changed over the years.
A woman who didn't wish to be named described the attack as “scary” and said things on the Armley Town Street have gotten worse but blamed alcohol, and poverty “especially now with the cost of living crisis.”
She said: “It’s quite scary you’re not used to seeing this really. I’ve lived here all my life, it's a good community, they all rallied round.
“People don’t know what to do with themselves, there's no community centres, we had a beautiful park that was just built and it was burnt down and they set fire to it.”
She added: “It’s alcohol mad around here, people drinking and arguing until like 10/11pm, it’s intimidating.”
Joseph, who opened a business on Town Street less than a year ago said stabbings had become normal but this didn’t scare him or make him want to leave the area.
“Give them jobs so there won’t be stabbings,” he said. “There’s plenty of crazy things happening on doorstep everyday, there’s too many things [to name] people just going crazy, sober drunk, it doesn’t matter.
“It doesn’t make me want to move, it’s worse in London this probably happens everyday. I don't have problems with anyone.”
He added: “I thought the shop got robbed or something, I thought all shops were closed, I didn’t know what had happened.”
As Town Street was closed off, a number of shops were unable to open. Workers stood patiently in front of the cordon in hopes it would be removed soon.
A bystander who was waiting to go into the shop where she worked told LeedsLive: “I’ve to come to work. We saw in local news that some roads were blocked and set off early knowing traffic was bad.
“It’s scary and I stand on town street for a lift home after work. Where I work we’re having trouble with young people stealing and being cheeky, and a nuisance.
“It makes us worry especially now with dark nights. It's not as bad as summer.
“There’s not many police walking up and down to say how bad it is, they’re not here during the day when we need them. It’s not nice anymore.
“I felt ok in summer since times have changed. I don't like waiting around for my husband to pick me up.”
Police are urging anyone in connection to the “serious violent incident” to come forward.
Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle, who heads Leeds District CID, said: “The victim has received serious stab wounds, including to his back, chest and neck, and remains in a critical condition in hospital.
“The level of injury that has been caused and the circumstances that we have established so far means we are treating this incident as attempted murder.
“We are continuing to carry out enquiries to build of a full picture of exactly what has happened, and we would like to hear from anyone who witnessed any part of the incident.
“CCTV shows there were vehicles and people passing the scene at the time of the incident and we are keen to hear from anyone who was in the area or driving past at the time, particularly if they have relevant dashcam footage that could assist the investigation.
“We appreciate that a serious violent incident such as this will cause understandable concern in the community and, while our enquiries remain at an early stage, we believe this has been a targeted attack involving people who are known to each other.
“We are liaising closely with officers from the local neighbourhood policing team who are increasing their patrols of the area to reassure people following this incident.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Leeds District CID via 101 quoting crime reference 13220643377 or online via www.westyorkshire.police.uk/101livechat
Information can be given anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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