A 21-year-old man remains in a critical condition after he was stabbed in a “large-scale disturbance”, which left two others injured.
The man was found by police officers with stab wounds to the chest in Liverpool city centre at 5.30am on Wednesday, a spokesman for Merseyside Police said.
The force said the man, who was found by patrols at the junction of Church Street and Whitechapel, was given medical assistance by officers before being taken to hospital where he remains in a critical but stable condition.
A 21-year-old man with a stab wound to his back and a 23-year-old man with a laceration to his head self-presented at hospital.
Police believed the injuries are linked to a “large-scale disturbance” involving two groups of men, shortly after they left The Safehouse nightclub, and appealed for witnesses to come forward.
On Wednesday morning, two officers were standing outside the club, on Victoria Street, and a forensic investigator could be seen taking photographs in Peter Street, at the side of the venue.
Detective Chief Inspector Tony Roberts said: “We know that there were vehicles and pedestrians in the area of Peter Street who may have witnessed the disturbance and we would appeal to anyone who was in the area to come forward.
“I would ask taxi and delivery drivers to check their dashcams to see if they captured anything significant and members of the public to come forward if they captured any photographs or video footage on their mobile phones.
“Knife crime has no place on the streets of Merseyside and we are committed to finding the people who choose to carry knives. We need the public to speak to their family and friends and make it socially unacceptable for them to even think of carrying weapons.
“While people may be concerned when they hear of incidents such a this I want to reiterate that Merseyside has seen a 22% decrease in knife crime in 2022-2023 compared to the previous year, the second highest reduction of any county nationally and the force remains determined to further reduce knife crime and the devastating impact it has on individuals, families, and the wider community.”
A large cordon remained in place in the city centre as police investigated, with shoppers being directed away from parts of Church Street and some stores, including Next and River Island, closed as a result.
Anyone with information is asked to contact @MerPolCC on social media or call Crimestoppers UK anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 23001323831.