A WITNESS has described how a gang chased down and stabbed a man in the middle of the road.

The victim, believed to be in his 20s, was repeatedly knifed by a group of men on a zebra crossing outside the Lincolns pub in Leytonstone High Road at 8.10pm on Sunday (August 1).

A 26-year-old kitchen porter at a nearby deli, who did not want to be named for fear of being targeted, witnessed the attack and is calling on the police to do more to make the area safe.

He said: “They jumped on him, and tackled him to the ground in the middle of the road.

“Cars had to stop, but no one would dare help. Everybody was scared including me. I was very upset after that.

“You just don't expect anything like that to happen. They were fighting then they sprayed out in all different directions.

“These are the same guys fighting all the time. They are taking over people's lives. People don't feel safe.

“Police should take steps to find out what is really going on. The big question is, do they actually think people are safe?

“I don't think so.”

Unconfirmed reports suggest a man was stabbed in nearby Cecil Road yesterday afternoon.

Andrew Moskal, 29, was stabbed in the stomach as he tried to break up a fight in the High Road on Tuesday, July 27.

He has been discharged from hospital following emergency surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.

The area around Leytonstone High road, south of the railway bridge, is well-known gang territory.

The gangs are based in the Thatched House, Cann Hall and Cathall areas.

Following a recent increase in gang violence across the borough, extra officers were drafted in to patrol known hotspots, including Leytonstone High Road.

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