A manhunt is today on after a man was stabbed outside a busy city centre pub.
Police say the 20-year-old is currently in hospital with serious injuries following the incident, which happened near the Milecastle, on the corner of Westgate Road and Grainger Street in Newcastle, just before 7pm last night
He suffered injuries "consistent with being caused by a bladed article," say officers.
And no one has yet been arrested.
City centre workers today arrived to find a large section of Grainger Street cordoned off with police tape amid rumours that someone had been stabbed.
Police had sealed off an area outside the Mile Castle, with the cordon stretching round the corner to the Savers discount store.
And one PCSO was standing at the scene.
Ricky Steeno witnessed the "terrifying" drama unfold as he left work last night, which he said left him in tears.
Ricky said: "I work in one of the offices in Maybrook House. I had left the office moments after it happened. There was a fight that had broken out just outside the Mile Castle and there was a lot of screaming.
"It was a terrifying situation and I was petrified to see what was happening. I couldn't help but cry my eyes out as I went home. I really hope everyone involved is ok. I didn't look too much at what was happening as I just wanted to get away as fast as possible."
A couple also described how they saw a man lying injured on Grainger Street as armed police and paramedics filled the street.
The man and woman witnessed the drama, at around 7pm last night after enjoying an Italian meal in the town.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said: “We went for a meal and then we came round here and there was all the police and armed response here. There was someone lying down here.
“The manager of the hotel said someone had been stabbed. Everyone was here, the paramedics and the police. The police were pointing up at a window.”
And the man added: “We thought someone must have been shot.”
Imran Ali, who works as a supervisor at Savers said he arrived this morning to discover he would not be able to open the shop.
And the 26-year-old said he had already heard from a friend that someone had been stabbed.
He said: “I think there has been a stabbing. I have talked to my friend who works at the student accommodation and the police have been in asking for CCTV.
“I can’t go in to open up and I don’t think I will be in anytime soon.
“I will have to get all my team to wait outside.”
Another shop worker who was unable to open up this morning added: “We don’t know when we will get in, it could be 10 minutes or it could be 10 hours.”
A woman who also works in a nearby shop said she had heard there had been a stabbing.
She said: “The city centre is getting worse. It’s scary for us especially when we work late at night. We are having so much bother. We feel really vulnerable here.”
Office worker Jack Rapidz witnessed the commotion last night, but said police would not tell him what had happened.
"I left the office at approximately 7.15pm last night to head home. At the time there was a lot of commotion out the front, I wasn't paying a massive amount of attention but there seemed to be the aftermath of a relatively large scrap of some sort," he explained.
"I certainly did not see any weapons or anything like that but something was definitely happening and I hurried off away to get home.
"I came in this morning and could not get in to work because the area had been cordoned off. I spoke to the PCSO this morning when I was trying to get in to the office."
By 9.45am the cordon was taken down and businesses were able to open as normal.
A Northumbria Police spokeswoman confirmed that an investigation had been launched into the assault.
She said: “Shortly before 7pm yesterday we were alerted by the ambulance service to a report of an assault outside the Mile Castle on Grainger Street.
“Emergency services attended the scene and found a 20-year-old man with injuries to his abdomen consistent with being caused by a bladed article.
“The man was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) by ambulance where he remains with serious injuries. An investigation has been a launched and enquiries are ongoing.
“Anyone with any information, CCTV or dashcam footage is asked to contact us."
And a spokeswoman from the North East Ambulance service added: "We were called to reports of a man injured in Westgate Road, Newcastle, at 6.46pm last night.
"We dispatched one ambulance crew and one crew from our Hazardous Area Response Team, and transported one patient to the RVI for further treatment."
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