Machete-wielding man tackled by brave off-duty police officers at work drinks in south London
14 February 2024, 17:01
Police tackle machete wielding man
This is the moment a group of off-duty police officers tackled a machete-wielding thug in south London.
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Two groups of men were fighting in Elephant Park, close to Elephant and Castle roundabout, on July 21 last year, when one was knocked over, with a dog set on him.
Joseph Jimenez was standing over the man on the ground, brandishing his machete.
Luckily a group of off-duty police officers happened to be in a nearby bar - and saw the commotion. Video shows them running towards the fight, despite not having protective equipment.
Jimenez, 20, ran away before slashing at them with his machete. Undeterred, the officers tackled him to the ground.
Officers administered first aid to the victim and he was taken to hospital for treatment for a head injury. The officers' fast action likely prevented him from sustaining any more serious injuries.
Jimenez pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article and affray, getting eight months and four months in prison for each crime respectively. The sentences will run concurrently at a young offenders' institute.
Detective Inspector Jon Summers said: "The team had finished a long, hard week at work and were enjoying some well-earned down time together when the events unfolded.
"They had been off-duty and were without any form of protective equipment such as batons or PAVA spray, or a police radio. Still they intervened, working tactically together in coordinating their approach to close off the suspect's possible escape route, and swiftly arrested him.
"The heroism shown by these officers is nothing short of exceptional. They placed themselves at real risk of serious injury in order to prevent serious harm and to apprehend an offender. It is actions such as these that demonstrate the true heart and soul of the Met.
"They are a credit to themselves, the unit and [the police] as a whole."
Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, lead for policing in Southwark and Lambeth, added: "While we expect officers to protect the public, we expect this of them whilst on duty - with proper protective equipment and support.
"These officers had none of this equipment and were not aware of whether support was on the way or not. They had no way of knowing who had weapons or how many. They simply responded to what they could see - had they not acted, a member of the public may have been caused serious or potentially fatal injuries.
"On seeing the spontaneous intervention of the off duty officers all other protagonists fled the scene and a large scale public disorder incident was averted.
"We are incredibly proud of them."
