A police officer is in critical condition after a “sudden and brutal” machete attack in Leyton, east London.

According to an official statement from the Metropolitan Police Force, the attacker was the driver of a van which two uniformed officers had attempted to flag down near the Coopers Lane junction at Leyton High Road.

The driver, described only as a “male in his fifties”, was chased down after trying to flee the scene, and stabbed an officer in his thirties “a number of times” after he and his colleague got out of their police car to speak to him.

Police officers in Great Britain do not carry firearms on a routine basis, and the attacked officer does not appear to have had one. Fortunately, he did at least have a taser — which is also not typical — and it was with this that he was able to subdue his assailant.

His condition is “believed to be critical but stable”.

Absolutely horrified by the shocking stabbing of one of our brave police officers in Leyton overnight. His courage in the face of danger shows how police put their lives on the line to protect us every day. I wish the officer a full recovery & my thoughts are with him. — Priti Patel MP (@patel4witham) August 8, 2019

“This was a sudden and brutal attack on a uniformed officer carrying out their duties,” commented Inspector Julia James for the Metropolitan Police, who commended her injured colleague’s “bravery and resilience, especially as he managed to draw a taser, despite being repeatedly stabbed, to prevent the suspect harming anyone else and to protect himself from further injury.”

Inspector James further urged any witnesses to the incident to come forward and provide information to either directly to law enforcement or via the Crimestoppers anonymous hotline, quoting CAD3/8August.

“Absolutely horrified by the shocking stabbing of one of our brave police officers in Leyton overnight,” added Priti Patel, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s newly-installed Home Secretary.

“His courage in the face of danger shows how police put their lives on the line to protect us every day. I wish the officer a full recovery & my thoughts are with him.”

Moped Thugs Hold Unarmed Police at Gunpoint in Sadiq Khan’s London https://t.co/lRMHCfkf3e — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 31, 2018

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