The large crowd forced unarmed cops to intervene in what would have otherwise been an armed stop
Cops tackling the suspect to the ground
Footage shows the moment unarmed cops pounced on a man they thought was carrying a gun near a busy football ground. The clip, caught on Saturday, August 30, at about 2.30pm, was filmed as thousands of fans flocked from Stamford Bridge having watched the West London derby between Chelsea and Fulham.
The suspect was near Fulham Broadway Station when cops received reports of a man wearing military-style tactical clothing, a helmet and what appeared to be a handgun in a holster. Despite armed officers being on their way to the scene, the nearest units were regular, unarmed officers who took him down due ‘to crowd risk’.
There they found what appeared to be a handgun from the holster on his leg, and a rifle from the bag he was wearing on his back. Despite the guns being found to be fake, they’d been sprayed black.
The suspect, a 16-year-old boy, was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of imitation firearms and was taken into custody. In a police interview he claimed he had been attending a nearby comic convention that weekend and was in costume.
‘Extremely concerning’
Inspector Rob McDonald, Match Commander said: “This was a highly unusual and extremely concerning incident which occurred at the worst possible time. The match had not long finished and 40,000 spectators were leaving the stadium when information was received about a person dressed in black tactical clothing, wearing a ballistic helmet and carrying firearms heading towards a major transport hub.
“The unarmed officers who spotted the suspect acted spontaneously and with incredible bravery. They tackled him to the ground to secure the firearms without thought for their own personal safety, only that of tens of thousands of football fans in the immediate area.
“This incident highlights the bravery and selflessness of our police officers who come to work every day to keep the public safe.”
Commander Adam Slonecki said: “These officers demonstrated quick thinking and truly impressive bravery in the way they responded to this incident.
“While they believed the suspect was potentially armed with multiple weapons, they were all unarmed. They put the safety of the public above any concerns for their own and in doing so did themselves and the Met proud.
“I hope this incident also serves as a reminder to those who may be engaged in ‘cosplay’ or in any other activity that involves dressing up as characters where weapons or armour are involved. Such activity should ideally take place in organised environments where it is obvious to everyone what is going on.
“Wandering around in public, particularly in crowded places, while carrying these items is irresponsible. While those taking part may know their weapons aren’t real, the public do not and nor do our officers.”
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