Angry parents have voiced fears about rising violent crime in the north west London area where a masked knifeman paused his restaurant attack to start filming the stabbing on his phone.
A campaign has been launched by Carmen Lopez whose A-level student son Lucas, 17, was robbed at knifepoint by four youths - one armed with a machete - near Willesden Green station. But she was horrified when a police investigation closed “pretty much straight away”.
Mrs Lopez and other locals are lobbying the Metropolitan Police, Brent Council and Labour MP Dawn Butler to increase patrols, enforcement and put up more CCTV cameras.
Willesden has recently been rejuvenated into a thriving suburb known for its bustling streets, eclectic mix of shops and diverse communities.
Terrifying CCTV went viral showing the moment a male victim, in his 20s, was chased into the kebab diner on Walm Lane at around 9pm on Tuesday, April 1.
The video records a long blade being plunged 11 times towards the helpless man’s legs and his torso.
Astonishingly, the hooded thug - wearing a white mask and dressed in an all-black outfit - pauses to pull a phone out of his pocket and begins recording his assault. No arrests have been made.
Latest Met crime figures show the number of stabbings in Brent has increased by four per cent in the 12 months to February 2025.
In the Willesden Green ward, offences peaked in November with eight knifings, before falling back to four in February, a month which saw another three in nearby Mapesbury.
Father-of-two Recorda Davey-Ann Clarke, 35, was fatally stabbed while out celebrating his girlfriend’s birthday in Willesden Green three days after Christmas last year. Elyas Moussa, 29, of no fixed abode, has since been charged with murder. A provisional three-week trial is set for October 13.
Mrs Lopez said Lucas, an aspiring scientist in genetic engineering, was coming home from school when he “could sense a number of people behind him” at 4.30pm on January 17.
“Suddenly one of them is on him holding a big knife,” she told the Standard. “They were saying, ‘Give us your phone. What do you have?’
“When he put his hand in his pocket, he turned his hip and used the momentum to push them. They weren’t expecting that, and the one with the knife lost balance.
“Lucas ran, shouting: ‘Help, help I’m being mugged’.
“When he saw the knife, he just wanted to get out of there.”
Lucus managed to stop two motorists and explained that he had been targeted.
After contacting police, Mrs Lopez discovered how few cameras are in the area and the case was closed within a number of days.
She said: “Lucas’ biggest concern is whether they would recognise him again.
“His father and I have advised him to alight at Kilburn station, where there appears to be more staff on duty. At Willesden Green, nobody seems to be there.
“I don’t think knife crime and the gang problem is being taken seriously.
“I’m considering moving out of London with my teenage son and family. Willesden, in particular but the capital generally, has become lawless.”
Other locals reported increased yobbish behaviour, burglary, car crime and theft.
After writing a letter of complaint to Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist, Detective Superintendent Will Lexton-Jones wrote to the Willesden Green and Mapesbury residents saying he can “fully understand the distress and frustration” caused and is “especially concerned by the attacks in broad daylight”.
Det Supt Lexton-Jones assured them the Met is committed to tackling gang and drugs problems, including a recent uplift of police and community support officers to increase foot patrols of known crime hotspots and target key offenders.
He said the force is working with British Transport Police colleagues on joint operations covering Willesden Green Underground station.
Det Supt Lexton-Jones wrote: “I hope that the additional resources and refreshed activity to date, provides a degree of reassurance that we are a learning organisation who listen to what our communities are saying.”
Scotland Yard and Ms Butler were approached for comment.
Brent Council said: “Since January 2025, the police have increased patrols in the area and resumed local ward panel meetings with residents.
“In response to community concerns, the council has improved street lighting on Churchill Road, at the junction with Balmoral Road, Lechmere Road, and Deacon Road.
“We also secured funding from the Violence Reduction Unit to deploy uniformed officers to hotspot areas over a two-week period in February 2025.
“A community outreach event will be held on May 18 in Willesden to raise awareness about knife crime, provide first aid training and connect residents with local support services.”
:: Names of 17-year-old victim and his mother have been changed at their request.
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