Brixton: Met criticises 'unacceptable' crowds who hurled objects as police helped injured man

4 June 2021, 18:39 | Updated: 4 June 2021, 18:55

Officer criticises "unacceptable" Brixton scenes

By Will Taylor

Scenes of officers being "set upon" in Brixton as they responded to a seriously injured man were "totally unacceptable", the Met has said.

Crowds hurled objects at police after being called to help a man with suspected gunshot and stab wounds late on June 2.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were sent in to the scene in south London with riot gear and the crowd threw items at them.

Detective Superintendent Neerav Patel, of the Met's Central South BCU, told LBC on Friday: "The scenes were totally unacceptable.

"We had officers responding to a male who had been seriously injured and those officers were set upon by the crowds that were present.

"So for me that's totally unacceptable and I know I speak for the community when I say that level of violence and disorder will not be tolerated.

"We have an open investigation to identify those responsible."

A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in relation to the incident police responded to.

Read more: Brixton: Crowd hurls objects at police at scene of suspected shooting and stabbing

Officers change into protective clothing during the incident.
Officers change into protective clothing during the incident. Picture: PA/Ben Fahey

Officers, including some wielding firearms, were sent to Moorland Road with the air ambulance just after 9.30pm.

The man, in his 20s, who suffered wounds was taken to hospital and his injuries were assessed as not life-threatening but potentially life-changing.

During the response, two officers were assaulted but neither needed treatment.

Speaking about whether the police were braced for more incidents as lockdown eases, Det Supt Patel said: "We as a nation have been through a huge ordeal with the pandemic and I fully accept that people will want to return to the streets and enjoy the freedoms that we've long waited for."

He said warm weather in the summer would bring out more people who will want to gather, which he said was right. Euro 2020 will also see people want to meet up.

But Det Supt Patel added: "We remain committed to making sure they can do that safely, they can do that in line with the coronavirus legislation… but absolutely we remain committed to maintaining safety in public places.

"We welcome people to come back to the streets and enjoy their freedoms but we are also poised and ready to bear down on violence and we maintain our commitment to reducing violent crime."

Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101 quoting reference Cad 7951/02Jun.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Israel Palestinians Britain Aid

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza

Greece Confidence Vote

Greece’s government survives no-confidence motion called over rail disaster

A council has had to apologise following the incident.

Fury as parents offered version of school class photo without complex needs pupils

Conjoined twin who shot to fame with sister on The Oprah Winfrey Show marries army veteran in private ceremony

Conjoined twin who shot to fame with sister on The Oprah Winfrey Show marries army veteran in private ceremony

Israel Palestinians UN Security Council

Russia ‘abolishes’ monitoring of sanctions on North Korea with UN veto

Firefighters at the scene of a bus crash in Limpopo

Bus plunges from bridge in South Africa and erupts into flames, killing 45 and leaving child, 8, as lone survivor

Music-Green Day UN

Green Day to headline UN-backed global climate concert

Exclusive
Starmer has vowed to resurrect Boris Johnson's 'Levelling Up' policy

Failure to ‘level up’ Britain would be ‘catastrophic’, Wes Streeting admits, as Starmer vows to resurrect Johnson policy

Border Force staff will walk out from April 11

Hundreds of Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport to stage four-day strike

Stephen Bear was ordered to pay Ms Harrison £5,000.

Disgraced reality TV star Stephen Bear ordered to pay £27,000 over revenge porn conviction or face nine months in jail

Sam Bankman-Fried

FTX founder Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for crypto fraud

Exclusive
Covid no excuse for death of Finley Boden who was murdered by drug-addled parents, child protection chief says

Covid no excuse for death of Finley Boden who was murdered by drug-addled parents, child protection chief says

France Valentino

Former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele named Valentino creative director

Know your limits this summer, Brits have been warned

‘Know your limits’: Brits heading to the Euros this summer warned against drinking ‘too much German beer’

Russia Shooting

Russia arrests another suspect in concert hall attack that killed 143

Sam Bankman-Fried has been jailed for 25 years for a $8bn crypto fraud

'Crypto King' Sam Bankman-Fried jailed for 25 years for stealing billions of dollars from his customers