A man was dramatically arrested by officers armed with Tasers after a teenager was stabbed in the head this evening.

Police flooded Southend town centre after the attack outside Sainsbury’s in London Road, near the High Street.

A dispersal order has been put in place until midnight tomorrow while officers investigate the incident.

Witnesses described a man being brought down by a Taser before being arrested.

One man, who has asked not to be named, helped chase someone wanted in connection with the attack.

The 25-year-old, who has lived in Southend his whole life, said: “I was just coming out of the hairdressers and crossed over the road and a little further down, there was about eight lads who were all arguing. I could see one guy was badly bleeding from his head.

“I was trying to work out what was going on and realised about five guys were shouting at this one man saying their friend had been stabbed in the head.

“The man then tried to run away so I decided to keep track of him while officers arrived.”

In a video, seen by the Echo, a man is then Tasered by an Essex Police officer after throwing an object over a fence near Gordon Road. The video also captures a group of young men shouting abuse at the man who was detained.

Police have since put a dispersal order in place to assist them.

A spokesman for the force said: “A dispersal order has been put in place following a disturbance in which a man was stabbed. We were called with reports a man had been stabbed in High Street, Southend.

“We arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon. He is currently in custody for questioning. The 19-year-old victim suffered an injury to his head, which was not believed to be life-threatening.

“A dispersal order has been put in place in the town centre in the area on the map attached. It has been put in place in order to allow us to prevent any disorder at the earliest stage and disperse groups causing anti-social behaviour. It will run until 11.59pm tomorrow."

Residents also reported a cordon in place outside Quantock flats in Queensway which they claim is linked to the incident.

Speaking to the Echo after the arrest, the witness who chased the detainee said: “It was one of those times where you don’t really process any emotion.

“I run 10 miles a day and thought I could help keep track of him while police arrived.

“It’s never nice to see something like that but I wanted to help if I could after reading all the worrying headlines in the Echo.”

Anyone with information should contact Essex Police on 101.