Chelsea murder: Manhunt launched after man, 42, stabbed to death in exclusive west London street

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A manhunt is under way today after a 42-year-old man was stabbed to death in the street in an exclusive enclave of west London.

The victim was found collapsed suffering from multiple stab wounds in Cathcart Road, Chelsea where terraced houses sell for £5 million.

Scotland Yard said officers and ambulance crews were called at 10.21pm last night to reports of a stabbing.

Paramedics gave emergency treatment in the street but the victim died at the scene at 11pm.

At least four streets were sealed off by police and forensic teams were still at the scene today searching for clues.

Police officers at the scene of the stabbing in Cathcart Road
Jeremy Selwyn

Detectives believe the attack took place in Redcliffe Gardens and the victim staggered round a corner into Cathcart Road where he collapsed.

Residents in the street, once the home to actor Hugh Grant, said they were told to remain in their homes in the aftermath of the incident.

A 24-year-old woman saw the victim lying on his back in the street.

A car is seen being taken away from the scene in west London
Jeremy Selwyn

“Our whole front room was lighting up and we wondered what it was,” she said. “He was just laid in the middle of the road on his back. He wasn’t moving.

“The guy was just laid diagonally across the street. All the police were really quick, it was really good, they were all running down the street.”

Exclusive street: the scene in Chelsea
Jeremy Selwyn

Another resident, a man in his 20s, said he heard screaming just after 10pm.

He said: “I went to bed and was just sat there with my wife just reading something. Then, all of sudden I just heard two people screaming.”

The man said the screams were “very, very loud” but only lasted for around four seconds.

The motive for the attack was unclear but one local said he had been told it was a road rage attack, while another suggested it was a robbery involving a delivery driver.

However, both the victim and his assailant are thought to have been in cars - and another possibility is that they were known to each other.

The 42-year-old man’s family have been told and there have been no arrests.

The murder is the latest in a surge of violence in London this year with the Met launching more than 70 murder investigations so far, many of them involving a knife.

The scene of the stabbing in west London
Jeremy Selwyn

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said today: “I was deeply saddened to learn of the fatal stabbing of a man in Kensington last night and my thoughts are with his friends and family.

“The police are doing everything in their power to bring those responsible to justice. If you carry a knife, be prepared to face the full force of the law.”

Anyone with information should call police on 0208 358 0200, or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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