By Eric King-
Two East London cops have been hospitalized by a man who allegedly assaulted them and threatened them with a gun before dispatching of it.
The incident happened around 4.30pm on the Romford Road in Manor Park on Thursday. The pair had been stopped by officers from the Met’s Violent Crime Task Force in a vehicle, but the men initially refused to stop but avoided a police chase. After the pair came out of the car, an eye witness told The Eye Of Media.Com that a man pulled out a gun and threatened the officers before running off , disposing of the gun but being caught eventually. The Met Police confirmed that after a brief incident, two police officers sustained injuries that required them to go to hospital. However, it appears no firearm was recovered.
Police have refused to clearly state that they were threatened with a gun, but they have also not denied it either. It appears it is because they did not manage to get the gun, and therefore feel they acknowledge the legal challenge of needing to prove everything they say before stating it publicly.
A Met Spokesperson said ”A 25-year-old man, was arrested at the scene; a 23-year-old man, who ran away from the scene was arrested in Grantham Road, E13, following a search of nearby gardens. Both were arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and suspicion of possession of a firearm.No firearm has been recovered, a search for it is ongoing”. The men are believed to have been escaping criminals, but police are being tight lipped about details because of the possibility of a court trial.
East London has over the years become a very violent place and a haven for rival drug gangs , many of whom feel compelled to carry guns even when driving. Being stopped by police whilst driving is a random occurrence, but there are times rival gangs actually contact the police to inform them of a rival carrying a gun, our source stated. ” The drugs rivalry in East London is deep, people are robbing people , setting people up, and even going after family members of rivals if they can’t find their enemies. Believe me there are many people who were bullet proof vests because of the serious fear they have of being killed. This a’int no ferry tail, believe me , it is happening”, our 22 year old contact from Manor Park, who didn’ t want to be named stated.
Youth groups have gathered at the East London University a few times already this summer to discuss how they can address the borough’s violence which is out of control . In many cases, gangs from outside the borough enter the borough to expand their drug base, falling into the known territory of blood violence which has many times led to deaths.
Revenge can be a never ending cycle for those who have lost family members or close friends, siblings and partners have been caught up in a number of fatal shootings in the capital over the years, although The Eye Of Media.Com understands that this fact never makes the press because people killed because of associations are rarely ever highlighted to the police. ”There are many times people get killed because they are the sister or girlfriend of somebody who robbed their runner(drug employee) of £5,000, in some cases, £10,000. The papers will say it was mistaken identity or wrong place wrong time, and these reporting suits the killer”. This view is something I have heard before in the course of investigating gun crime. Separate and unrelated contacts in Kilburn North West London, have said similar things to me in the last year or two, making scenarios like that very frightening and nightmarish.
”It is a lion’s den out here on the streets. Who would forgive a man who killed their sister, cousin, or brother because of their actions? Would you”?, he asks. People are being killed just for being a suspect of a robbery committed by somebody else, or a killing where the killer has been identified and caught. They well swear blind, that this guy must has set it up, or he said he was going to deal with the case. Many people are carrying guns, as bad as it seems for many of us that don’t like the police, in a way , every time they catch someone with a gun, they are doing everybody a favour”.