Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Metropolitan Police Service has confirmed that a police officer and a police community support officer were stabbed in the west of London, England. The officers were stabbed at a bus stop in the Ealing Broadway region of the city about 1505 UTC while examining bus tickets. The man stabbed the two in an attempt to evade arrest.

The pair were subsequently transported to hospital by ambulance. The police community support officer was seriously injured, having been stabbed in the arms. However, he was not thought to have suffered life-threatening injuries. The police officer was stabbed in the neck. His injuries were considered life-threatening.

The alleged attacker, a 30-year-old male, was arrested at the scene of the attack. According to reports, he was wanted by the police for recall to prison. When it became clear that he was going to be arrested, he drew a knife and stabbed the two.

Koon Midam, a witness to this incident, commented: “The man was asked to show a valid ticket and went into a violent rage. Very quickly the problem escalated as he drew his knife and made a few quick slashes. It was more of a shock for the first few moments and then there were the cries, the Pc dropping to the floor and the man lashing out again.”

Another male witness described the events. “I could see two policemen sprinting to the back of a police car to retrieve a green first aid kit,” he said. “They rushed back to assist a policeman who had blood on him. I then noticed another policeman who was walking slowly and then collapsed on the pavement. His arm fell to his side. As I drove away I also noticed a number of policemen pinning a man to the ground. He was shouting. What disturbed me most of all was the amount of blood on the pavement, it was clear that someone was very seriously injured.”

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, has uploaded a message to the social networking website Twitter regarding this incident. In the tweet, Johnson states: “Shocked by the stabbing of a police officer & a PCSO in Ealing. No place for this on the streets of London”.