A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in west London as two groups clashed on a street in scenes of "utter mayhem", witnesses said.
Police have launched a murder investigation after the teenager was killed shortly after midnight on Wednesday.
Officers were called at about 12.15am to reports of a fight in progress in Burket Close, Southall.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said officers and London Ambulance Service attended and found a 17-year-old male suffering injuries.
They said despite the best efforts of the emergency services he was pronounced dead at the scene.
His next of kin have been informed. Four men aged 21, 27, 31 and 71 have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
A witness described how how the teenager was savagely beaten and stabbed after two groups clashed in the street.
The local, who did not want to be named, intervened at one stage to try and stop the violence telling the group “you are going to kill him.”
He told the Standard: "Some guys turned up in a car and they started fighting with people on the street. There was screaming and fighting. Someone shouted ‘they attacked my family’. The fighting was outside a house on Burket Close it was utter mayhem.
“I saw a boy with a wound in his side and he was being savagely beaten by guys with sticks. I told them to stop but they just continued. Then a car sped off as this washappening...they left him for dead."
“I couldn’t establish what the fight was about but it was so violent. The paramedics treated him at the scene and I thought they were going to take him to hospital but he didn’t make it."
A neighbour said the victim’s mother showed up at the scene and was screaming with grief. They said: “She was in a terrible way it was heartbreaking to see.”
Another resident described “screaming and crying” as the teenager lay dying and a car speeding away from the scene.
Gurprit Khosa, 51, a father of two boys, said: “I heard screaming and crying. It sounded like boys and girls. A car screeched away really fast. I then saw two boys, one short and one tall. One was carrying a stick or something like that. The taller one had a hood up. They were talking and then moved off.”
He added: “It’s a lovely area we never have any trouble. It’s very scary though for this to happen especially as a father of boys.”
One neighbour Sachin Puri, 29, said: "It was so violent I heard someone shouting “get the knife, get the knife”.
It is understood there was a fight near the Grand Union Canal towpath with the incident then spilling into the neighbouring close.
Shocked neighbours said dozens of police swooped after the knifing.
One said: “There were cops everywhere with blue lights filling the street. It was too dark to see much but there were paramedics trying to help the poor boy. It’s a tragedy. I’m taking my kids to school past a police line. It’s heartbreaking.”
A crime scene remained in place on Wednesday, with detectives trawling for clues and collecting CCTV from the area. A crime scene tent marked the spot where the boy collapsed.
Detective Superintendent Figo Forouzan, Head of CID in west London, said: “This is an extremely sad incident that will understandably cause concern in the community.
“I would like to reassure the community that we will carry out a thorough investigation to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
“Whilst we have made arrests in this investigation, I would like to seek assistance from the public. I continue to appeal to anyone who has any information about how the events unfolded or anyone who may have captured the incident on their phone, dash cameras or doorbell footage to make contact with the police immediately.”
Virendra Sharma MP for Ealing and Southall visited the crime scene and expressed his condolences to those affected by the killing.
He said: “It’s a tragedy. We need to work together to stop these crimes.
“No mother, parent or loved one should lose someone in this way. Another young life is lost to society, it’s such a loss for everyone.”
He called on the government and London Mayor Sadiq Khan to redouble efforts to crack down in crime, particularly stabbings and shootings.
He added: “Sadiq is doing well but we need more resources to fight crime in London.”
Police are appealing for anyone with information to call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC and quote CAD 63/15Nov.
Information can also be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
