Four police officers hurt in knife attack

A MAN has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after four police officers were stabbed during a disturbance in north-west London.

Witnesses said a man had been chased by police in and out of shops before he fled into a butchers, grabbed a knife and attacked the officers.

Two officers were seriously hurt and one suffered a broken hand during yesterday morning’s incident in Kingsbury Road. They were taken to hospital suffering from stab wounds. A 32-year-old man was later arrested.

Mohammad Qasim, 51, owner of the Kingsbury Halal Butchers, described how a man walked into his shop and said: “Give me a chopper”. Mr Qasim said: “It was about 9.20, everybody was busy, customers come in the morning time.

“The man came quickly inside and said ‘give me a chopper’. The boys who work for me said ‘why give you a chopper?’. The man was very strong.”

The shopkeeper said the man had then taken a butcher’s knife that was about 12 inches long. He said: “After a few minutes, police came in and tried to catch him and he stabbed one.

“There was plenty of blood inside, everything was a mess and then police came and said ‘go out’. Everybody came out and police went in and took the guy.”

Eyewitness Girish Modha, a shopkeeper, said the chase began some distance further down the High Street. He said: “A man was shouting at police in a small alleyway next to a hairdresser’s shop, which neighbours mine. He grabbed a piece of fluorescent tubing and brandished it at police.

“He then ran down Kingsbury Road, going into a cash-and-carry shop. At one point, I think he threw a brick and smashed a police car window.

“He then ran round the roundabout and carried on towards the Tube station. He went into a butcher’s, got a knife and that’s when the stabbing took place.”

Harrow borough commander Chief Superintendent Dalwardin Babu, said the first officer had stomach wounds, the second had head injuries and a slash to the arm, the third had stab wounds to a leg and the fourth had slash wounds on a hand as well as a broken hand.

A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, but has not yet been charged. He remains in custody at a north London police station.