Four men in Edmonton hospitalised with stab wounds, a day after shotgun was fired into a minicab

A street brawl during which two vehicles collided and four men were stabbed in north London on Sunday was believed to be linked to a triple shooting that took place a mile away about a day earlier, according to police.

Four men, all in their 20s, were found stabbed at the scene of the car crash on Fraser Road, Edmonton, shortly before 6pm, by police responding to reports of a fight. Three remained in hospital on Monday morning, with their conditions not disclosed by police.

Scotland Yard said officers were already investigating links to a shooting on nearby Gordon Road at about the same time the day before, in which two 22-year-old men and a 16-year-old boy were injured when a shotgun was fired into a minicab in which they were travelling.

A second vehicle pulled up alongside their car while it was stationary, police said. “At least two men got out and approached the victims. One was armed with a shotgun. The shotgun was fired twice into the rear of the vehicle.”

The victims were not in a life-threatening condition, although one passenger’s injuries were thought to be “potentially life-changing”. The minicab driver was not injured.

Police said one arrest had been made, but would not disclose whether it was linked to the first incident, the second incident, or both. Inquiries were continuing and police have appealed for witnesses and informants who can identify the attackers.

There have been 120 violent deaths in London this year, with the number of homicides in the capital surpassing the total of 118 for 2017 – excluding the toll of 13 from three terrorist attacks last year.

According to a Commons library briefing paper published earlier this month, London recorded the highest rate of knife offences in the country, at 168 per 100,000 population in the year to March 2018 – up 26 from the year before.

On Monday, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, was expected to announce significant funding for youth projects across the capital in an effort to steer vulnerable youngsters away from crime.