Footage has emerged of a woman being pushed down stairs by a police officer as chaos erupted outside a packed Asake concert last night.
Four people sustained critical injuries "believed to have been caused by crushing" at the Brixton O2 Academy around 9.35pm, following reports that a large number of people were attempting to force entry.
While no arrests have taken place, detectives from Specialist Crime have launched an urgent investigation and cordons remain in place at the O2 Academy.
A clip has now been shared to Twitter, showing a policeman throwing a woman down two steps and onto the floor, while members of the crowd can be heard screaming.
A man is then filmed telling the woman: "It's not worth it, okay. You are better than this, you are better than them."
Did you witness the scenes outside Asake's gig at the O2 in Brixton? Were you caught up in the crowd? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk
It is not yet clear what happened in the lead-up to the incident, and detectives are investigating the circumstances in which eight people ended up being taken to hospital, four of which remain in a critical condition.
Asake issued a statement this morning, writing on Instagram: “My heart is with those who were injured last night and caused any form of discomfort. I pray you get well soonest.
“I am also in the process of reaching out to individuals. I still do not have the full brief from the venue management themselves as to what led to the disruption at the entrance of The Brixton Academy, but we are thankful that all was peaceful at the end.
“For my people who enjoyed the beginning of my performance, I am sorry that it was cut short. Thank you for your unbelievable love London. I love you too much! I’m looking forward to seeing you again in a bit!”
In a tweet this morning, Sadiq Khan said he is "heartbroken this could happen" and that he "will not rest until we have answers".
The Mayor of London wrote: "My thoughts are with all those affected by the awful incident in Brixton last night.
"Eight people were taken to hospital, with four in a critical condition. An urgent investigation is already underway. I remain in close contact with the Met Commissioner & emergency services."
He continued: "I am heartbroken that this could happen to Londoners in our city and urge anyone with any information to contact the police on 101.
"I won’t rest until we have the answers their loved ones need and deserve."
A cancellation announcement had been made on stage partway through the gig and was met with uproar.
Speaking to fans they said: "The reason we have to stop the show is because they have breached the doors. You've got 3,000 people have broken the doors outside and because of security the police have asked us to close the show."
As the fans loudly booed, the message continued: "This is nothing to do with us," before adding: "This is basically - listen to what I am saying..."
The booing drowned out the messaging, causing another to add: "Listen, for your own safety, for your own safety, listen please. For your own safety, please, please, please. There are people who've breached the door.
"They have broken in and security are trying to help with it."
John, 32, who lives next to the O2, said that the police arrived after the gigwas cancelled.
He said: “I saw everyone at the front door of Brixton Academy, (then) everything just stopped.
“It looked like the gig had been cancelled, and then some commotion, some pushing and shoving, and the police came shortly after. That’s when it kicked off and became aggressive.”
He added that “you could tell there was tension”., and said that people tried to get into the O2, breaking the glass of the front doors.
“People at the front of the Brixton Academy were really pushing and shoving and trying to break through the door and force their way in,” he said. “The glass of the doors was broken.”
Met Police gold commander Ade Adelekan described the incident as "extremely upsetting" and urged any witnesses who are yet to speak with police to get in contact.
Mr Adelekan added: "This is an extremely upsetting incident which has left four people critically ill in hospital. My thoughts and prayers are with them and their families.
“A police investigation has been launched, and it will be as thorough and as forensic as necessary to establish exactly what happened last night.
"The scene will be examined by specialist officers, CCTV will be viewed, every witness that we can make contact with will be spoken to and all other lines of enquiry will be followed.
“Officers are remaining in the area to provide reassurance to the local community in and around Brixton. If you have any information or concerns, please speak with them.
“I am aware of video being shared on social media. I would ask people to be sensible about what they share, and not to post material that will be upsetting to those affected by this incident.
"Where force has been used by police officers, those officers know they have to be accountable for their actions.
"The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards will view all material, including Body Worn Video footage from the officers at the scene.
"In relation to a clip being widely shared, I can confirm that no police dogs were deployed to the location.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed 10 people were treated at the scene.
They said: “We were called at 22.06pm on Thursday 15 December to reports of people injured at the Brixton Academy.
“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including eight ambulances, members of our hazardous area response team (HART) and tactical response team, three incident response officers, two advanced paramedic practitioners, and a medic in a fast response car.
"We also dispatched a team from London’s Air Ambulance. We treated 10 patients at the scene. Eight of them were taken to hospital and two discharged.”
Any witnesses who are yet to speak with police are asked to call 101 ref 6725/15Dec.
Anyone with mobile phone footage that may assist police, are also asked to contact @MetCC on Twitter.
