A third teenager has been arrested following the stabbing of five boys at a Halloween party that saw 70 'uninvited' revellers show up after the details were shared on Snapchat.
The 16-year-old boy was arrested overnight on Monday on suspicion of attempted murder following the stabbings at an address in Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh on Saturday, October 31, at around 10.30pm.
The teenager, from Bristol, joins a 16-year-old and 17-year-old - both from Southampton - who were also arrested on suspicion of murder. All three remain in custody at this time.
Officers at the scene found the teenagers had scaled the fence of the £800,000 four-bedroom property on Park Road, before seriously assaulting the victims, three who are aged 16 and two aged 17, there and in surrounding streets.
Four of the five victims sustained serious injuries but have been discharged from hospital. The fifth, who is aged 17, remains in hospital in a life-threatening condition, Hampshire & Isle of Wright Constabulary said on Tuesday.
The attack came after a 17-year-old girl - who lives at the property with her parents and sister - invited her closest friends for a supervised party that saw 100 people turn up after a different Halloween bash nearby was shut down earlier in the evening.
Her parents were at the address but were unable to stop the large numbers of youngsters arriving.
A third teenager has been arrested after five teenage boys suffered serious injuries following a stabbing at a Halloween party (Pictured: Police and forensics teams in and around the scene on Park Road in Chandler's Ford)
Hampshire & Isle of Wright Constabulary have confirmed its investigation remains ongoing, with officers from the force 'continuing to review footage'
At some point after 10pm a group of teenagers climbed a wooden fence and gained access to the party despite not appearing to know anyone there.
A fight then broke out and the five boys were rushed to hospital.
The stab victims are believed to be friends with the party's host as all had attended Thornden School in Chandler's Ford.
They had completed their GCSE exams last year and had moved to various colleges including Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh.
Detailing the events of the evening, one local resident said: 'A friend of mine's son went to the party. He was there with a couple of friends and they were in the garden.
'At some point, a group of teenagers scaled the fence and jumped into the back yard. 'They were uninvited and didn't seem to know anyone. A fight broke out between some of the boys who had been at the party and the group who had gatecrashed.
'It got nasty quickly as the group who had jumped over the fence pulled out knives. They later fled the house.
'One of the boys was stabbed in the shoulder, two had serious slash wounds to their stomach and torso while another had a nasty stab wound to his arm.
'There were around 100 youngsters at the party when there should have only been 30 or 40.
Four of the five victims sustained serious injuries but have been discharged from hospital, while the fifth victim remains in hospital in a life-threatening condition
'There'd been another party in Romsey earlier in the evening which had been shut down. Some of those we think had gone over to this party afterwards.'
A lady who lives close to the house where the party took place described the moment the stabbing happened.
She said: 'I could hear a lot of noise and so I looked out from an upstairs window and I could see a lot of teenagers further up the road outside a neighbour's house.
'There must have been more than 80 of them at the party and some had spilled out onto the street.
'They were laughing and chatting but were generally well behaved, there was no anti-social behaviour going on.
'But it changed suddenly when I could hear screams from a few of the girls. That was when the fight broke out and the boys were stabbed.'
She continued: 'There was a lot of screaming and an eerie silence immediately afterwards. I heard a male voice say to another 'it's a knife attack.'
'The police were on the scene very quickly, as were the ambulances. The air ambulance landed in the recreation ground nearby.
'I saw one of the boys brought out of the house on a stretcher. He looked in a terrible way.
The attack came after 100 people turned up at the property after a different Halloween bash nearby was shut down earlier in the evening
'The medics looked as though they were giving him gas and air and a blood transfusion. They must have worked on him on the pavement outside the house for about half an hour to 40-minutes before he was rushed away in an ambulance.
'Two other boys were brought out on stretchers. One of them had bandages wrapped around his torso. They turned him over and he had another nasty gash on his back.
'The other boy was helped to sit up by the paramedics and he talked to them for a minute or two, pointing to something but then his head slumped forward as though he was losing consciousness again.
'It was a horrific scene. There were police everywhere, including armed officers and forensics.
'We are all shocked and just hoping that the boys pull through.'
Hampshire & Isle of Wright Constabulary have confirmed investigations remain ongoing, with officers from the force 'continuing to review footage' and information provided by witnesses to 'piece together' the events of Saturday evening.
DCI Elizabeth Pirie, senior investigating officer, thanked those who have come forward but urged others with relevant information to get in touch.
She said: 'I want to thank everyone who has already come forward to speak about what they saw on the night, or share with us any footage they have.
'Our team are working incredibly hard to understand what happened and identify anyone who may have been involved.
'We now have arrested three boys, but we still want to hear from you if you have any information which could assist us. However small it may seem to you, it may be key to our enquiries.'
Chief Inspector Rachel Noble, district commander for Eastleigh, added: 'The violence witnessed on Saturday night will have undoubtedly been extremely distressing and concerning for everyone who was at the party.
'It is really important to us that everyone knows what support is available for them, should they want to talk about, and how they can report anything to us so the investigation team can continue with their enquiries.
'Local officers will also continue to be out in the area of Park Road, so if you do have any concerns or need to speak about anything then do not hesitate to do so when you see them.'
The force has asked those with relevant information to call 101 and quote the reference 44260534624, or to visit their website: Public Portal.
Information can also be submitted anonymously via Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111, or through their website.
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