Bravery award for off-duty cop after tackling knifeman who stabbed victim through heart
A West Midlands Police officer who stopped a knifeman after he stabbed an emergency services worker has been given an award for his bravery.
Pc Matt Evans, based in Birmingham, witnessed the attack near the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel in October 2019 and immediately intervened.
The off-duty officer put himself between the attacker and the victim – who had been stabbed in the heart – and chased after the culprit as he fled the scene.
Pc Evans tackled and disarmed the man, who was high on drink and drugs, before holding him on the ground until Metropolitan Police officers arrived.
And now his efforts have led to him being named as a recipient of the 2021 Police Federation national bravery awards for being "utterly exceptional".
The cop was bitten on the hand by knifeman Mohammed Uddin, from Well Street in South Hackney, and abused by a hostile crowd that gathered – with some trying to prevent him from holding the suspect.
Pc Evans was taken to St Thomas' Hospital in central London to receive treatment for the bite, before giving up the rest of his day to attend Stoke Newington Police Station – meeting the investigation team and providing a recorded witness interview.
His evidence for the Crown Prosecution Service saw Uddin locked up for wounding with intent and jailed for 12 years and nine months in March last year. The victim of the knife attack survived after emergency surgery was carried out at the Royal London Hospital.
Pc Evans, an officer with 22 years’ service and based at Birmingham West NPU, has already received a Deputy Commissioner’s award from the Metropolitan Police.
The senior investigating officer, Detective Gavin Markey, said the attack would likely have continued but for Pc Evans’ intervention, with “the outcome far worse for the victim”.
Recalling the attack, Pc Evans said: "When I saw the guy being stabbed, for me there wasn’t a choice to make – I had to stop him before he killed someone.
"I’m glad everything turned out well in the end. The doctors, nurses and hospital staff performed a miracle in saving that man’s life."
Jon Nott, chair of West Midlands Police Federation, said: "Pc Evans acted in the finest traditions of British policing when he fearlessly tackled this violent offender.
"He was utterly exceptional and beyond brave. He chased and detained a suspect with a knife, knowing that he had just viciously stabbed another man in the street.
"With absolutely no regard for his own safety, he was simply determined to catch a violent individual. He was then subjected to an assault himself, but his tenacity showed through to ensure this male was unable to escape and the knife he had with him was recovered.
"Pc Evans went above and beyond to ensure the offender was captured. He did more than many people would have done, putting himself in harm’s way to catch a dangerous man. He has rightly been commended for the courage he displayed.”
Sir David Thompson, Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, added: “Matt is a cracking officer. He is one of our finest.”
