She said the female officer challenged the man after she suspected him of carrying a knife and he stabbed her in the arm before attempting to run away. “Her colleague chases the attacker, catches him – a scuffle ensues – the officer is stabbed three times in the neck and once in the chest,” Sir Mark told reporters. “He is very seriously injured – other colleagues join the scene. “There is a violent struggle with a fairly frantic individual – tasers, PAVA sprays are deployed and then one officer uses his baton – eventually the assailant is subdued and arrested. Both officers were rushed to hospital.” He added: “We remain concerned that the injuries to the young female officer’s hand may still be quite serious and potentially life-changing, but that has yet to be resolved.” Sir Mark credited the officers with being “incredibly brave”. He said: “It’s a reminder to me that with all the calls for reform of the Metropolitan Police – which is absolutely necessary – we must never forget that we have thousands of dedicated men and women who go out every day and are ready to brave Londoners.” The suspect was taken to the hospital for treatment and is now in custody. Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cuddy said the “terrible event” was not thought to be linked to terrorism or the Queen’s death. On Friday morning, crime scene investigators were seen working inside the police cordon outside a Shake Shack restaurant, located across the street from the M&M’s World store in Leicester Square. The cordon meant nearby West End theaters such as the Lyric were inaccessible on Friday morning and police vans parked in Piccadilly Circus prevented motorists from driving down Shaftesbury Avenue. Guests at the nearby Thistle Trafalgar Square Hotel on Whitcomb Street were told by police that they would not be able to return to their rooms on Friday if they ventured beyond the cordon. Taxi driver Youssef Boucetta, 27, witnessed the incident as he headed into central London to collect a fare from Heathrow Airport. He described how six officers struggled to tackle the suspect, who was eventually restrained when a bystander threw a bicycle at him. Mr Boucetta said: “I was there when the stabbings happened. It was very disturbing, especially when I saw the female officer stabbed. “I had just left for work and was on my way to pick someone up at Heathrow airport. First of all I saw this female officer come around the corner with blood on her hand. “She was screaming, ‘I’ve been stabbed, I’ve been stabbed’, so I quickly got out of my car with my jacket and wrapped it around her. Then these two male officers came around the corner. “More cops showed up from McDonald’s. They surrounded the guy and the taser like five times.”
