Two cops have described the 'chilling' moment they confronted a knifeman who charged at them with an eight-inch blade.
PC Hannah Jones and PC Justin Harrold thought they were dealing with a noisy neighbour when they were threatened with the huge kitchen knife.
The PCs knocked on the door of Jan Olav Kvaerneng-Stolp only for the burly attacker to lunge towards them wielding an eight-inch blade.
Bodycam footage showed Kvaerneng-Stolp brandishing the knife in his hands and shouting at the two officers as they tried to calm him down.
Two cops have told of the 'chilling' moment they confronted a raging knifeman (pictured) who charged at them with an eight-inch blade
He even pursued the cops shouting threats as the officers made their retreat through the garden before one subdued him with pepper spray.
PC Jones said they were responding to a noise complaint in Llanelli when the incident happened in March this year.
She said: 'We'd been dispatched to a routine noisy neighbour call, and had no reason to believe there were any heightened risks.
'We tried knocking the front door, with no response, so we went around to the back garden to try and explain we were there to help.
'We tried to talk to him through the door, and when he opened it I could see he was holding a large knife above his head and aggressively shouting at us. He lunged towards both of us, brandishing the knife.
'I could see his aggressive nature, and had immediate concerns for our safety. I took a step back to create distance between us, but he came charging towards me with the knife.
'The attack heightened my awareness of my surroundings and I realised that I was further away from the garden exit than I initially thought.'
She told how she drew her baton in defence as she withdrew from the garden before PC Harrold was able to subdue him with spray.
PC Hannah Jones (pictured) and PC Justin Harrold thought they were dealing with a noisy neighbour when they were threatened with the huge kitchen knife
She said: 'Once the adrenaline had subdued, we had time to reflect on the possible outcomes.
'In hindsight, it was an extremely frightening experience, but thankfully our training kicked in and I acted reactively in accordance with what I have been taught.
'It took a while to realise the seriousness of what we had experienced and we were both thankful that nobody was hurt.
'It has made me realise that this job is one where even the most routine of calls can turn into something more serious than it may initially appear.
The PCs knocked on the door of Jan Olav Kvaerneng-Stolp only for the burly attacker to lunge towards them wielding an eight-inch blade
'I'm very thankful that neither of us was physically hurt, and I think I will be a better police officer as the result of this experience.'
PC Harrold added: 'I was shocked, In training, you prepare for situations like this, but you hope they never happen.
'We are trained to get away at the sight of a knife, so my immediate priority was to create distance. In the time Hannah was distracting him, I wanted her to come out of the contained garden so was shouting for her to come towards me.
'Once she did, I drew my PAVA spray and fired it. He became quickly incapacitated dropping to the floor, and I think he dropped the knife. It all happened so quickly and could have ended very differently.'
The two officers have been praised by Dyfed Powys Police Chief Inspector Jolene Mann for their professionalism and bravery
The pair have been praised by Dyfed Powys Police Chief Inspector Jolene Mann for their professionalism and bravery.
She said: 'The officers quickly reverted to their training and safely distanced themselves from the subject. I am extremely proud of how they acted.
'The subject was violent and extremely aggressive, but Hannah and Justin responded in a calm and measured manner – they truly are remarkable.
'I watched the body-worn footage and it is chilling. They had to act and think quickly and swiftly brought the matter to a safe conclusion.
'I spoke to both officers after the incident, and they explained that at the time they just went into autopilot, however they were understandably frightened.
'In particular, Hannah was outstanding – she took complete control of the situation, and Justin composed himself and waited for the perfect opportunity to deploy PAVA spray. They were the perfect team.'
Kvaerneng-Stolp, of Llanelli, was charged with affray and was sentenced to an 18-month community order and 200 hours of unpaid work at Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday, May 5.
No comments:
Post a Comment