Machete horror
Policeman ‘scalped’ by maniac with 1ft blade in street bloodbath – but he still heroically Tasers attacker despite being on his knees
LYING in a pool of blood only yards from a machete-wielding motorist who attacked him, a policeman fights for his life.
These pictures show the desperate moment officers battled to save their 28-year-old colleague after he was knifed by a van driver he had pulled over on suspicion of not having insurance.
The attacker sliced open the constable’s face and slashed at his hands, but the brave officer managed to fire his Taser at the knifeman, saving his life.
The attack in East London was the latest incident in the city, which has been hit in recent months by spiralling levels of violence.
It came as senior police officers said the attack was ‘a symptom of people having less fear of the police’.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised ‘tough sentencing for those who carry knives’ as he led tributes to the victim.
Last night the officer was said to be a serious but stable condition at Royal London Hospital, where he is recovering after surgery.
Witnesses said the uniformed officer was slashed three times in the cheek and hands.
One 32-year-old woman said the victim was covered in so much blood it ‘looked like he had been scalped.’ She added: ‘His head was completely open. It was incredible, he was on the ground but was able to Taser the guy. He was on his hands and knees but zapping him. What a tough guy.’
Footage captured by onlookers showed three officers pouncing on the knifeman, pinning him on the ground moments after the attack, around midnight in Leyton.
Feet away, more than ten officers and paramedics battled to save the officer’s life as he lay motionless, his uniform, which had been cut off, lying next to him.
The officer, who has been with the force for ten years, is expected to make a full recovery despite suffering horrendous injuries.
Only hours after the attack, he was able to speak about his ordeal, telling his boss and family from his hospital bed: ‘I’m okay.’
Yesterday, his commanding officer, Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Tucker, said the officer, who Scotland Yard are not naming, made a routine stop after spotting an uninsured van being driven by a man in his 50s. He and a female colleague chased the van for around a minute before the driver stopped. As officers tried to prevent him driving off again, the driver pulled out a machete and launched his attack.
‘It was frenzied, unprovoked, shocking,’ Mr Tucker said. ‘Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon. This is a particularly nasty event but I would say there’s always a threat being a police officer.’
He added: ‘I’ve been in police for a long time – there’s certainly a sense of a lack of respect, not just for police but for authority.
‘I honestly believe that using that Taser may have saved his life. I would like to commend his bravery, resilience and determination. Despite being repeatedly stabbed, his first thought was to protect his colleague and the public.’
He also called for harsher sentences for knife crime against officers saying: ‘I do get frustrated sometimes at the sentencing.’
Figures show knife crime in England and Wales hit a record high this year, up 8 per cent on the previous year. The Prime Minister, who has already pledged to put another 20,000 officers on the street, responded yesterday by pledging tougher sentences and a stop and search knife crackdown.
He said of the attack: ‘My sympathies are with the officer and his family.’
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: ‘I am utterly appalled by this sickening attack on a serving Met police officer. We will use all the resources at our disposal to ensure the perpetrator of this heinous attack is brought to justice.’
Last night, a 56-year-old man arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm was being questioned at an east London police station.
‘It was frenzied, unprovoked’