The murder suspect in the Hainaut stabbing case could be questioned by detectives after doctors declared him fit to be discharged from hospital and officially taken into police custody.
The 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene of the 22-minute rampage, first with a van and then with a sword, leaving a 14-year-old boy dead and four others injured.
A suspect was injured when a car crashed into a house in northeast London’s suburbs on Tuesday, but video showed him clutching a knife and screams of panic and fear as he moved around the area.
He was subdued by Taser fire and taken into custody, but two police officers who responded to the scene were seriously injured.
Both men are recovering in hospital, and the female police officer suffered serious injuries to her limbs. Surgeons fought to save her arm and had to reconnect her nerves and blood vessels during her emergency surgery.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley praised the bravery of the officers and detailed further the trauma the two officers suffered after confronting the suspect.
Mr Rowley told LBC radio: [male] An inspector with a severely damaged hand. I met him before the surgery and he seemed fine. To be honest, I think it was partly the morphine.
“But there’s a lot of work to do on his hands. There’s a really serious injury.
“And I was talking to the families and colleagues of female police officers who had been really badly affected. [her] The arm was really badly damaged and the surgeons spent…hours trying to put her arm back together. It will be a long journey to recovery. ”
It was feared on Tuesday that a female police officer had suffered serious injuries, including the possibility of losing her hand.
“It’s a really frightening, serious injury. Three weeks ago I was in the hospital with another police officer who had been stabbed. When I go to meet these young men and women, most of them are in their 20s; It’s very humbling to know that my children are the same age and that they are so connected to the mission of protecting our people. It’s completely abnormal.
“Given what the surgeon said yesterday, we are becoming increasingly optimistic that a full recovery may be possible over the next few months, years, and lots of physical therapy.
“There’s a lot of repair work. What they’re doing is unusual. So I think [the surgeon] They spent hours operating under a microscope to reconnect nerves, blood vessels, and more. It’s truly abnormal. ”
Mr Rowley said the injuries showed that Met employees were frequently exposed to danger on the road. It makes me feel humble. They run toward danger. But it’s not just lip service. That’s true.
“They’re charging at someone with a sword. They’re putting themselves at risk because they’re so tied to the idea that it’s their job to protect the public.
“And they do it every day. Meanwhile in London, on average, 19 officers are injured every day, 19 people a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. It’s the norm. And, sadly, sometimes there are serious injuries like the one we saw yesterday.”
In the wake of the Hainaut incident, there have been growing calls for police to be armed with guns on a daily basis.
Mr Rowley said he did not support this and preferred the British model, where police are mostly unarmed and guns are reserved for specially trained officers. He said he was considering whether more Met police officers should regularly patrol the streets with Tasers.
