This is the horrifying moment a hero policeman already branded the 'hardest cop in Britain' managed to Taser and arrest a driver who had tried to scalp him with a machete.
The 28-year-old Met officer was slashed across his face, head and hands after his attacker pulled the giant blade when he was stopped in his car because it was allegedly not insured.
Extraordinary footage of the incident in Leyton, east London, shows the policeman on his back as the suspect hammers down his machete, lacerating his victim's upper body.
The bleeding police officer can be heard yelling: 'Help I've been stabbed' but still manages to pull his Taser and fire it into the knifeman who he pins down and arrests despite his own severe injuries. He also hurls the machete away from the man allegedly trying to kill him.
The officer is in a serious but stable condition at the Royal London Hospital, where he is recovering after surgery. Only hours after the attack, he was able to speak, telling his boss and family from his hospital bed: 'I'm okay.'
Today 56-year-old Muhammed Rodwan of Luton will appear in court charged with attempted murder of the police officer. He is also charged with possession of an offensive weapon.
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 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.
This is the horrifying moment a police officer was slashed with a machete by a man pulled over for driving without insurance
Despite suffering wounds to his head, body and arms the police officer turned the tables on his attacker - shooting him with his Taser and pinning him down in an extraordinary arrest
More than ten officers and paramedics (pictured at the scene) battled to save the officer’s life as he lay motionless, his uniform, which had been cut off, lying next to him
In another extraordinary image a police officer comforts a witness to the machete attack by hugging them in the back of a police van
The officer was injured as he tried to fight off a knifeman with his Taser after he stopped a vehicle in east London around midnight yesterday.
Quick-thinking witnesses can be seen holding up material to the policeman's head in a desperate attempt to stop the flow of blood.
In other pictures a huddle of police officers can be seen next to their fallen comrade, desperately trying to stop him bleeding to death after the ferocious attack. Just a few feet away – officers have pinned the attacker to the ground.
Another picture shows a policeman holding the horrifying 12in blade that was used in the onslaught.
Yesterday witnesses told of the ferocity of the assault on the innocent policeman, who has served with the Met for ten years.
One 32-year-old woman who saw the stabbing and its aftermath said: 'His head was completely open, it looked like the guy had tried to scalp him.
'I heard banging and screaming outside so ran to the window and saw the policeman with the stab wounds in the head.
'It was incredible, he was on the ground but was able to Taser the guy. He was on his hands and knees but was zapping him. What a tough guy, amazing.
'I think he realised he was bleeding heavily and badly injured so rolled over on to the ground after a while. Then another police car came. The police jumped on the attacker, pinning him down but... he was still screaming and resisting.
'They had to get their knees on him to stop him wriggling free. There was so much blood on the road. I'm astonished he has survived this.'
Neighbour Shabaz Choudry said: 'The guy came from the back from his truck and stabbed him in his hand. It was like a sword.'
Another witness described the officer screaming as he was attacked, saying: 'The guy just launched himself at the cop, hacked at his face completely out of nowhere. I'm in shock.'
The moment passers-by rushed to the aid of a London policeman who was stabbed repeatedly in the head and body was caught on camera
In graphic scenes, passers-by were filmed rushing to save the heroic policeman as officers pinned his attacker to the ground
Quick-thinking citizens can be seen holding up material to the policeman's head in a desperate attempt to stop the flow of blood
The brave passers-by work with emergency personnel to deliver first aid to the victim who is laying on the floor
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. Only hours after the attack, he was able to speak, 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. I've been in the police for a long time – there's 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.'
Residents in the area took to Twitter to share images of the scene as the officer appears to be treated
This morning there was a blood stain pictured on the road at the scene of the attack in Leyton (pictured above)
People in the area posted photos on Twitter of Midland Road (pictured above) where police had cordoned off the area
Graphic pictures posted on Twitter appear to show the injured officer seconds after fighting off the knifeman, on his hands and knees, blood pouring from his face as he stared in shock at the wounds in the hand in which he had held his Taser. A number of onlookers rushed to help.
Within minutes more than ten officers and paramedics had arrived to help the policeman as he lay motionless, with parts of his uniform cut off and lying on the ground next to him.
Witness, Muhammad Faisal, 31, said: 'We saw someone lying on the road. We didn't see the wound, but we saw a lot of blood.
'I saw one police officer was holding a knife. It was a machete – around a foot long.'
Mr Faisal said he prayed for the officer's survival, adding: 'The first thought was maybe the man lying on the floor had lost his life.
'It makes you think because it was a police officer – people on the road for our safety.
Residents in the area took to Twitter to share images of the scene, as blue lights lit up the street and police are seen on scene at the incident
After back up was called to the area officers can be seen stood around as someone is treated on the floor by paramedics
Officers were pictured on the scene with police vans and cars after the attack in Leyton, east London
The map above shows the area in Leyton, east London where the officer was attacked after doing a routine vehicle stop
This morning the Met Police tweeted that the officer's condition had been assessed as not life-threatening
A crime scene remains in place in the area and police have said there is nothing to suggest the incident is terrorism related
'It gives you an emotional feeling as well. That's why we stayed to make sure he's alive. All this time they were providing first aid, or trying to stop the bleeding and giving him CPR.
'The first time we saw him moving his leg and speaking to his colleagues was after about five to seven minutes.'
Just a few feet away, three officers held down the knifeman, yelling at him: 'Stop protesting, be quiet'.
As he fought, one officer was seen struggling to bring the groaning motorist under control before he was led away to a police van.
Elsewhere, a weeping woman officer who witnessed the attack was seen being comforted by a colleague. CCTV from a nearby garage showed how she narrowly avoided injury by swiftly stepping back when the knifeman swung his machete at her colleague.
Yesterday a resident who lives near the scene, said: 'It seems to be happening every other week that someone is stabbed or attacked. If something like this can happen then how can you feel safe?'
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.
Mr Johnson 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.'
- A 56-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after a policeman was stabbed in the head. Muhammed Rodwan, 56, from Luton, is also charged with possession of an offensive weapon after an attack in Leyton, east London, at around midnight on Thursday.
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