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This is the dramatic moment heavily-armed cops tasered a knifeman who prowled a busy street allegedly threatening to cut the throats of white people.

Terrified witnesses say the man was shouting that he wanted "to kill someone tonight" while walking through Hackney, east London.

Dramatic video footage obtained exclusively by Mirror Online shows the moment cops restrained the man after arriving on the scene.

He can be seen lying on the ground in the street clutching a knife in his right hand.

A woman who lives nearby filmed the terrifying incident. She said the man shouted: "I'm going to kill any white person who comes down this road, I'm going to kill them, I want to cut someone's throat, I want to kill someone tonight."

The woman was lying in bed watching TV when she said she heard a "horrible shouting noise" before allegedly seeing a man waving a knife around and making stabbing signals.

She claims the knifeman was shouting 'just kill me, just kill me' after police rushed to the scene.

(Image: REACH PLC)

(Image: REACH PLC)

The witness, who does not wish to be named, told Mirror.co.uk: "It was filmed from my window (on Friday night) at 12 o'clock. I was lying in my bed watching TV.

"I heard a horrible shouting noise. I could tell it wasn't just a drunk Friday night argument.

"There was a guy in the middle of the road with a massive knife in his hand.

"He said 'I'm going to kill any white person who comes down this road, I'm going to kill them, I want to cut someone's throat, I want to kill someone tonight'.

"I called my brother who was out and said 'don't come home, there's a crazy guy with a knife, don't come home, he wants to kill someone'."

(Image: REACH PLC) (Image: REACH PLC)

She said her brother was out that night and she was worried he'd be on his way home at the time.

The woman continued: "The guy was waving the knife around in stabbing motions and eventually he lay down on the floor.

"The police turned up so quickly because they must have thought it was a terrorist attack.

"There was a massive black BMW filled with armed police. He was shouting at the police 'just kill me, just kill me'.

"The police surrounded him so quickly. He tried to get up with the knife and they Tasered him.

"The police didn't know what else he had on him, if he was alone or what else was going to happen.

"It's a busy road and there are often people walking down who could have been stabbed. Luckily there wasn't anyone but there could easily have been."

(Image: REACH PLC)

She said she did not know what made the man lie down but feared "he was waiting for someone to come over to check he was OK, then he could have stabbed them."

The woman added: "He had a massive kitchen knife, at least eight or nine inches long. I could see if reflecting from the street lights.

"I heard what he was saying so clearly and it was terrifying.

"The police were there in about four minutes. They surrounded him and didn't allow him to get up. He kept screaming 'kill me'."

(Image: REACH PLC)

Police tasered the man as he tried to sit up with the knife, according to the witness.

She said they managed to disarm him and had him on the floor for ages.

"It was just horrible. The sound of his voice was horrific," she added.

"It's left me really shaken up and scared. I walk down that road a lot but now I'm questioning whether I would go out at night again.

"I'm frightened to leave where I live. I've lived round here my whole life and I've never seen anything like it. I've seen trouble before but never that kind of thing."

(Image: REACH PLC)

The Metropolitan Police confirmed officers arrested a man on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and he was taken to an east London police station where he remains in custody.

A spokeswoman from the Metropolitan Police Service said: "Police were called at approximately 11.35pm on Friday, 1 June to reports of a man in possession of knife and acting aggressively in Teale Street, E2.

"Officers attended and Taser was discharged.

"The man - aged in his 50s - was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and taken to an east London police station where he remains in custody.

"A knife was recovered at the scene."

There are no reports of any injuries and officers from Hackney are investigating.