Daily Mail - 12.08.2019

Daily Mail, Monday, August 12, 2019 Page 7

Of f-duty doctor fought

to save policeman run

over with patrol car

Beachgoers taken ill in seafront chemical alert

Carjacker is Tasered after fleeing horrific attack

Led away: The suspect in red trousers with police officers

Heroics: Adil Butt stands next to blood stains on the road Lying on ground: Armed response officers Taser the man

By Claire Duffin

road, surrounded by the officers.

Another shows the man – in red

trousers – being led away in hand-

cuffs by four of the injured officer’s

colleagues.

Last night, a 29-year-old man,

from the Hall Green area, was

charged with attempted murder.

A second man, 24, was arrested on

suspicion of theft.

Superintendent Tom Joyce, from

the force, said yesterday that offic-

ers were in shock over what had

happened. Superintendent Tom

Joyce, from the force, said yester-

day officers were in shock over

what had happened.

‘He had surgery last night and

again this morning,’ said Supt Joyce.

‘His injuries are not life-threatening

but he’ll need a long recuperative

process before returning to active

service – if he ever does.’ The injured

officer had been with the force for

17 years. He added: ‘He has a natu-

ral skill for finding offenders and

catching them. He is well-respected

and popular.’

The incident comes just days

after Metropolitan Police officer

Stuart Outten, 28, was injured

in a horrific machete attack in

London. He was knifed after

pulling over a van driver suspected

of having no insurance. It follows

statistics showing more than

20 emergency workers are

assaulted every day in the line of

duty. Figures from 31 police forces

revealed there were 4,129 attacks

on police officers, hospital staff

and prison officers in six months.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said

she was ‘appalled’ by the latest

‘sickening attack’ in Birmingham.

It was just one of a number of inci-

dents in days of violence across

the city. On Thursday night, 20-

year-old James Teer was mur-

dered in a drive-by shooting in the

Erdington part of the city.

Then, 24 hours later, masked

thugs opened fire at rivals, and

chased one with a machete, on a

street in Saltley.

Boris lays down the law – Page 8

AN off-duty doctor has told how

he fought to save the life of a

policeman who was mown down

by a carjacker in the officer’s own

patrol vehicle.

Dr Adil Butt, 39, who lives close to the

scene, leapt in to help other police at

the scene after seeing how critically

injured the traffic officer was.

‘Myself and the other officers put some

compression on his head,’ he said.

‘The poor chap was quite drowsy. He was

in pain. Other officers were joking around

with him to try to keep his spirits high – but

he was feeling the effects of the injury.

‘When the paramedics arrived, we gave

him some morphine to dampen down his

pain but he was in a difficult place, the

impact and force of the collision was high.’

The 42-year-old married officer was last

night in a serious condition in hospital and

it is feared he may never be able to return

to front-line police duties after suffering

life-changing injuries.

He had been trying to detain the carjacker

who had stolen a Range Rover Sport from

a woman as she unloaded her shopping in

Moseley, Birmingham, on Saturday after-

noon near to Dr Butt’s house.

As the officer tried to stop the thief, he

was attacked and punched to the ground.

Dr Butt had emerged from his home with

his two young sons to find two unmarked

police cars trying to block the Range Rover

in the street. He said: ‘I put my children in

the car and I stepped back so I could have

an overview of what was going on.

‘The police were shouting at two men in

POLICE cordoned off a town’s seafront

yesterday due to a ‘hazardous material

incident’ that left people vomiting and

complaining of sore eyes.

The mysterious chemical alert in Wor-

thing, West Sussex, caused two people to

be taken to hospital, while homes and

business near the seafront were told to

keep windows and doors closed.

The operation involving police, ambu-

lance and the fire service began at lunch-

time as people complained of suffering

from sore eyes.

Police cleared the pier and closed a two-

mile stretch of the seafront in the town,

although the source of the problem was

still under investigation. The pier and the

seafront were later reopened.

Former windsurfing world champion

Christine Johnson was on the beach pre-

paring kitesurfing lessons when she and

her students were told to leave.

She said: ‘They said a few people had

been hospitalised. They were covering

their mouths with clothing.

‘My eyes were a bit sore and itchy, and a

friend who was on the beach said she felt

her eyes were sore too.’

Local resident Chris Leigh went to the

beach with his family at 9am. His 18-

month-old baby boy suffered sore eyes

and later vomited.

Steve Churchill, 29, from Manchester,

was at the pier when police cleared the

scene. He said: ‘It wasn’t rushed, every-

one was just walking single file. Nobody

knew what was going on but no one was

going to take a chance.’

Sussex Police said: ‘A small number of

people reported symptoms including sore

eyes and vomiting, two of whom were

taken to hospital. They have both since

been discharged, and advised to go home,

wash their clothes and have a shower. ’

Officers used drones to survey the coast-

line from the air as part of the operation.

In August 2017 about 150 people went to

hospital reporting sore eyes and vomiting

after a chemical haze drifted over East-

bourne, East Sussex.

An investigation by the Department

for Environment, Food and Rural affairs

concluded the gas cloud was likely to

have come from the Channel.

By Chris Brooke

the car – they were trying to Taser them,

but they were significantly resisting.’

Seven more police cars arrived and offic-

ers were ‘jumping’ on the car trying to get

the men out, Dr Butt said.

‘The passenger from the car was Tasered

and arrested but despite their best efforts

the driver couldn’t be restrained.

‘He had been Tasered multiple times but

he wasn’t going down and [saw] there was

an unmarked police car with the keys in.

‘There were police on him and pulling him

as best as they could, but he managed to

squeeze himself through the gap into the

vehicle. I couldn’t see exactly what hap-

pened but the car knocked the officer.’

The thief reversed over the officer and three

of his colleagues in the unmarked BMW

before speeding off. The injured officer suf-

fered a broken pelvis and head and abdomi-

nal injuries. He had surgery yesterday.

The thief crashed the car a mile away

and then tried to escape through a takea-

way. He then attempted to get into a taxi

but the driver refused to take him and

leapt out of his cab.

Officers from West Midlands Police’s

armed response team then arrested the sus-

pect after using Tasers.

Photographs from the scene show the

moment the suspect was detained. The

man can be seen lying face down on the

WILD WEST

BRITAIN

SLIP