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Armed police stormed the London HQ of the Sony record company today after two men were stabbed in the staff canteen.

Frightened staff fled the building after a dispute broke out in the kitchens of the Derry Street offices which also house music mogul Simon Cowell’s record label Syco.

Witnesses said the incident involved two men fighting in the canteen of the Sony building.

Onlookers told how one of the men was seen standing over his victim, repeatedly stabbing at him before he was stopped by colleagues.

A witness told the Standard: “There was a lot of shouting and commotion. It looked like they were having a fight. One had fallen over and was on his back and the other was standing over him. I thought he was raining punches down, but then I saw the knife.

“It was about six or seven inches long, and he was standing over him trying to get him, stabbing downwards as the other man put his arms up to defend himself.

“He was going nuts. There was a lot of shouting.

“Other staff were standing around - they didn’t want to get too close because he had a massive knife.”

Armed officers raced to the scene after initial reports that a man had been armed with a gun.

Derry Street Stabbing - In pictures 9 show all Derry Street Stabbing - In pictures 1/9 Armed police attend the scene Evening Standard 2/9 Officers run to secure the building PA 3/9 Police cars and ambulance in attendance Evening Standard 4/9 A man is removed from the building by ambulance staff Evening Standard 5/9 He was stretchered away from the scene after being stabbed Evening Standard 6/9 Security staff stand guard at the building PA 7/9 The events caused the closure of High Street Kensington as a cordon around the area was established Evening Standard 8/9 Police cordoned off Derry Street in west London Evening Standard 9/9 Armed response officers on the scene Evening Standard 1/9 Armed police attend the scene Evening Standard 2/9 Officers run to secure the building PA 3/9 Police cars and ambulance in attendance Evening Standard 4/9 A man is removed from the building by ambulance staff Evening Standard 5/9 He was stretchered away from the scene after being stabbed Evening Standard 6/9 Security staff stand guard at the building PA 7/9 The events caused the closure of High Street Kensington as a cordon around the area was established Evening Standard 8/9 Police cordoned off Derry Street in west London Evening Standard 9/9 Armed response officers on the scene Evening Standard

Hundreds of people were evacuated from the building as a precaution and the street - also home to the Evening Standard offices - was sealed off.

Scotland Yard said neither of the injured had suffered life threatening injuries. One was taken from the building on a stretcher.

Another man was seen being led away in handcuffs, he is also thought to have been injured.

The witness told the Standard he saw the victim, who worked for a catering contractor, stabbed in the upper thigh, before the pair were separated.

“The guy with the leg injury had a towel wrapped around his leg, and the attacker was sitting down on the floor, still obviously very angry, with people trying to calm him down, and paper towels wrapped around his arm.”

He said there were two areas of blood on the floor, while another woman appeared to have been slightly hurt after apparently falling over in the melee.

A member of Sony staff said he saw a man pinned to the floor in the canteen in the “aftermath” of the stabbing and there was “blood everywhere”.

Sony Music confirmed there was an incident at Derry Street resulting in the building being evacuated.

They said there had been a "violent altercation" inside.

"The incident is now in the hands of the Metropolitan Police," said a spokesman.