POLICE revealed that a 40-year-old man was stabbed in a mass brawl last night as officers made two more arrests in connection with the violent incident.

The force responded to reports of a street fight involving about 20 people in Montpelier Place, Brighton, at 10.15pm.

A 40-year-old man suffered stab wounds in the altercation and was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

The Argus:

He remains in hospital in a serious condition.

With an investigation into the incident under way, detectives say they now believe the victim and his attackers were known to each other.

Sussex Police arrested two men, aged 19 and 57, last night shortly after the brawl.

And, today, the force said officers had detained a  further two 18-year-old men in connection with the investigation.

The Argus:

Detective Chief Inspector Gordon Denslow, from the Sussex Police Major Crime Team, said: “Our investigation is moving at pace as we work quickly to establish what happened.

“This incident happened in a busy area of Brighton and we are appealing to anyone who witnessed the assault, may have relevant CCTV or dash-cam footage, or was in the Montpelier Place area at the time of the assault to come forward.

“We are confident that someone knows what happened and would urge them to do the right thing and speak to us immediately.

The Argus:

“The victim and suspects are believed to be known to each other and this is being treated as an isolated incident with no threat to the wider public.

“This is a complex investigation and we thank the public for their patience as enquiries are ongoing and an increased police presence remains in the area.”

Anyone with information which could help police with their investigation is being urged to contact the force online or by calling 101 quoting Operation Moorcroft.

Alternatively, people can contact the independent charity CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.