Two men, aged sixteen and 26 have been injured in a knife attack in Peckham High Street following a large-scale fight at 5.20pm.
Several knives have been recovered from the scene while another 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of possessing a bladed article.
The 16-year-old male victim sustained a slash injury to his hand; the 26-year-old suffered a stab injury.
A crowd of people watching had to be dispersed by on-patrol police, who happened to be walking past.
An eyewitness, Leo Plowright, 24, said he saw one of the victims “staggering” into JD Sports to reach safety from the violence.
Mr Plowright said he was shopping in Poundland, Rye Lane when he heard someone shout “fight” on the street outside.
“I saw two guys sprint down the road shouting. I assumed there was a fight and they were running away from it,” he said.
“It was really busy and in broad-daylight. The shocking thing was that it was so brazen and so many people saw it.
“People saw an attacker throw a knife into a pile of boxes just a few yards down the road.
“A teenage girl watched it all from the entrance to Poundland and was visibly shaken.
“Some people were telling her to go home but she wanted to make sure the victim was ok before she left.
“There wasn’t a lot of blood around which makes me hope it wasn’t a life-threatening wound.”
Both victims have been taken to a south London hospital but their injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
Mr Plowright praised the police’s quick response.
“A police car was there within a couple of minutes,” he said
“The most horrible thing was it came across like the thugs who did it clearly didn’t care if they were seen.”
The condition of the wounded man and boy is unknown at this point. The boy who was arrested is now in police custody.
Police had closed roads at junctions with Rye Land and Peckham High Street. They have now been reopened.
Detectives from the Trident and Area Crime Command are investigating.
Anyone who witnessed the stabbing or the moments leading up to the fight is asked to contact police via 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.