The moment unarmed Met Police officers raced to tackle a boy and take a ‘firearm’ from his holster while surrounded by thousands of Chelsea fans was caught in startling footage
Bonkers footage shows the moment officers pounced on a teenager dressed in tactical clothing with “a handgun” as he walked past thousands of Chelsea fans.
The Met Police video showed unarmed officers racing towards the 16-year-old boy and telling him to get on the floor before taking the firearm from his holster. The ‘gun’ was later discovered to be an imitation handgun and part of the boy’s costume.
The street was crowded at the time, at 2.30pm on Saturday August 30, with spectators leaving nearby Stamford Bridge where Chelsea had just hosted Fulham in a local derby.
In audio played over the footage, a member of the public called 999 and told operators: “There’s a guy walking out the front of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in full tactical gear and a gun on his hip and he’s absolutely not a police officer.”
The boy, who was also wearing a helmet, was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of imitation firearms and was taken into custody, police said.
He later explained in interview that he had been attending a nearby comic convention that weekend and was in costume.
Inspector Rob McDonald, match commander for the football fixture that day, said: “This was a highly unusual and extremely concerning incident which occurred at the worst possible time.
“The match had not long finished and 40,000 spectators were leaving the stadium when information was received about a person dressed in black tactical clothing, wearing a ballistic helmet and carrying firearms, heading towards a major transport hub.
“The unarmed officers who spotted the suspect acted spontaneously and with incredible bravery. They tackled him to the ground to secure the firearms without thought for their own personal safety, only that of tens of thousands of football fans in the immediate area.
“This incident highlights the bravery and selflessness of our police officers who come to work every day to keep the public safe.”
Commander Adam Slonecki, who was the in charge of policing across London on the day of the incident, said wandering around in crowded places carrying imitation weapons is “irresponsible”.
He added: “These officers demonstrated quick thinking and truly impressive bravery in the way they responded to this incident.
“While they believed the suspect was potentially armed with multiple weapons, they were all unarmed. They put the safety of the public above any concerns for their own and in doing so did themselves and the Met proud.
“I hope this incident also serves as a reminder to those who may be engaged in ‘cosplay’ or in any other activity that involves dressing up as characters where weapons or armour are involved. Such activity should ideally take place in organised environments where it is obvious to everyone what is going on.
“Wandering around in public, particularly in crowded places, while carrying these items is irresponsible. While those taking part may know their weapons aren’t real, the public do not and nor do our officers.”
The teenager who was arrested admitted the offence of possession of imitation firearms in interview and has since been referred to the youth offending team for “consideration of an appropriate out of court disposal”, Scotland Yard said.
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