A knife-carrying attacker who repeatedly punched two police officers as they bravely fought to detain him was Tasered and arrested.
As he grappled on the ground with one of the officers the other – spotting what turned out to be a folded knife in the suspect’s clenched hand – fired his Taser and brought him under control.
The dramatic incident unfolded after armed response officers on routine patrol were alerted to a suspicious vehicle in the Bulwell area of Nottingham at around 12.50am on Tuesday 29 June.
After seeing the car on Moor Bridge the officers turned to follow it, before it sped away along Bestwood Road.
The car then travelled at speeds of around 60mph and on the wrong side of the road as it was driven toward Bestwood Village.
After completing several high-speed circuits of The Square it then crashed into a parked car and four men fled from inside.
The officers chased on foot and confronted the suspected driver in the back garden of a nearby property.
After shouting a challenge to officers he immediately launched a flurry of punches, forcing one to fall over a wall and striking the other in the head multiple times.
Immediately after the suspect was brought under control a folding style knife was recovered from the scene.
A 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of failing to stop, dangerous driving, assaulting police officers and possession of a bladed article. He was further arrested for failing to provide a sample of breath at the roadside.
Neither of the officers or the suspect was seriously injured.
Inspector David Mather, of Nottinghamshire Police’s operational support team, said: “These two officers did a great job in very difficult circumstances – using all of their training and experience in a volatile situation to choose the appropriate level of force to bring this suspect under control.
Tasers are effective devices that were introduced to help officers deal with incidents like this – minimising the risk of serious harm to suspects and themselves. As last night’s incident shows, in the right hands they can bring highly dangerous situations to a very swift conclusion.”
Taser – or conducted energy devices – are not routinely used in Nottinghamshire and are carried only by officers who have been specially trained. Armed officers carry the devices in addition to their firearms to give them an additional option.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cooper said: “This incident is a sad reminder of the risks that our officers take every day when they go out on patrol. When they start their shift they are fully aware that they could later be faced with violent suspects and potentially life-threatening confirmations like this. I also hope it serves as a reminder to others that if you assault our officers during the course of their duties they will take the necessary action to detain you and you will face very serious consequences for your actions.”