A 16-year-old has been stabbed in a retail park in east London after a row reportedly erupted over an e-scooter.
Shoppers at the Merrielands Retail Park, in Dagenham, were left terrified on Monday afternoon after seeing the schoolboy leaving with a security guard "covered in blood".
Police were called at around 5.45pm on Monday and confirmed the teen was treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital.
On social media there were unconfirmed reports that the teen was stabbed at the Argos Extra store, MyLondon reports.
It was also said that he was knifed in a row over an e-scooter, The Sun claimed.
An employee at a shop nearby told the news outlet: "A security guard from B&M came out of Argos with his hands covered in blood as he tried to help him.
"He did the best he could."
The schoolboy isn't believed to have suffered life-threatening or life-changing injuries, the Met Police said.
Photos allegedly taken at the scene show forensic officers inside the Argos with a large police cordon erected outside.
The store confirmed it closed "due to an incident" but reopened as usual on Tuesday.
Residents were left shocked by the incident with many commenting on a local Facebook group.
One person wrote: "I saw the old bill go in and ambulance outside about 6 wondered what was going on"
Another person added: "I was in work and all I heard was a young boy got stabbed multiple times just hope his going to be okay."
In a statement from the Met Police, a spokesperson said: "Police were called to Merrielands Crescent, Dagenham, at 5.45pm on Monday, October 25 by London Ambulance Service to reports of stabbing.
"Officers attended and found a 16-year-old boy was found with stab wounds.
"He was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to hospital. His condition is not life-threatening or life-changing."
So far there has been no arrests linked to the stabbing.
A spokesperson for Argos said: "We can confirm that our Argos Merrielands store closed early yesterday evening following an incident.
"The store reopened as usual this morning."
