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Police officer attacked with knife at HMV store in Leeds
Police officer attacked with knife at HMV store in Leeds
(35 minutes later)
An off-duty police officer has been attacked with a knife as he tried to stop a suspected shoplifter in Leeds city centre. The officer received non-life-threatening injuries to his neck, face and hand at an HMV store on Friday morning.
An off-duty police officer was stabbed in the neck at an HMV store in Leeds moments after it opened for Black Friday sales.
A 36-year-old man from Leeds has been arrested in connection with the incident.
The male officer was slashed across the neck, face and hand at the city centre shop shortly after 9am. He was treated in hospital and later discharged.
A West Yorkshire police spokesman said: “At 9:07am today, police received a report of an off-duty police officer having been attacked with a knife in the HMV store, in Victoria Walk, in Leeds city centre, as he challenged a suspected shoplifter.
The attack came hours before the band Busted were due to visit the store to sign copies of their new album. Police cordoned off a large area around the outlet while forensics officers carried out their work.
“The male officer received slash injuries to his neck, face and hand but fortunately these are not considered life-threatening. Ambulances attended the scene and the injured officer has been taken to hospital for treatment.
A West Yorkshire police spokesman said: “The suspect, a 36-year-old man from Leeds, was detained by store staff and has been arrested in connection with the incident.”
“The suspect, a 36-year-old man, from Leeds, was detained by store staff and has been arrested in connection with the incident. The store is currently closed while the scene undergoes forensic examination.”
Liam Hughes, a Big Issue seller, described the incident as “absolute madness”, but said the officer did not appear to be badly hurt. He said the store had only been open for a few minutes when the attack took place.
The officer was later released from hospital after receiving stitches for his injuries. The suspect was continuing to be questioned by police.
“It can’t have been open any more than five minutes when I’ve seen an ambulance that turned up outside. Another ambulance turned up and police cars started to arrive,” he said.
The store remained closed for about two hours and a police car and van could be seen parked outside the shop.
“I started wondering what was going on, but then I’ve seen this fellow come out with the ambulance crew and he gets put in the ambulance. He was walking wounded, he wasn’t too bad.
Liam Hughes, a Big Issue seller, described the incident as “absolute madness” - but said the officer did not appear to be badly hurt. He said the store had only been open for a few minutes when the attack took place.
“He looked like he had a couple of cuts round his face, maybe around his neck. It looked like he’d been in a scrap or something, but I didn’t see any major stab wounds.”
Hughes said: “It can’t have been open any more than five minutes when I’ve seen an ambulance that turned up outside. Another ambulance turned up and police cars started to arrive.
“About five or 10 minutes later, I’ve seen one of the police officers come out with one of those plastic tubes with a penknife in it and I sort of put two and two together and thought: ‘Someone’s been stabbed here.’”
“I started wondering what was going on. “But then I’ve seen this fellow come out with the ambulance crew and he gets put in the ambulance. He was walking wounded, he wasn’t too bad.
Hughes said he did not believe the incident was connected to the Black Friday sales, but that there was a queue of about two dozen people outside the shop when it opened, and shoppers continued to wait outside while it was closed for forensics teams to investigate.
“He looked like he had a couple of cuts round his face, maybe around his neck, it looked like he’d been in a scrap or something, but I didn’t see any major stab wounds.”
Hughes added: “I saw then, about five or 10 minutes later, one of the police officers come out with one of those plastic tubes with a penknife in it and I sort of put two and two together and thought ‘someone’s been stabbed here’. It’s madness. Absolute madness.”
He said he did not believe the incident was connected to the Black Friday sales, but added there was a queue of about two dozen people outside the shop when it opened and shoppers continued to wait outside while the store was closed for forensics teams to investigate.
