Police Officer Miraculously Survives Machete Attack to Head During Traffic Stop
No one likes to look in the rearview mirror to see a cruiser with flashing lights bearing down on them. No one likes to be pulled over, and certainly no one likes getting a ticket.
But there are better and worse ways to express disappointment in such scenarios, and attacking an officer with a machete is definitely one of the worst.
When PC Stuart Outten from London was on the job last August, he and a policewoman stopped what they suspected was an uninsured vehicle.
The driver, 56-year-old Muhammad Rodwan, was none too pleased with the treatment he received and allegedly retaliated by resisting the cops’ attempts to keep him from leaving and producing a machete from the depths of his car.
A fellow cop described the scenario later on a Just Giving fundraiser for Outten, who sustained skull fractures, six deep head wounds, finger fractures and arm wounds, which all required surgery, according to the BBC.
“PC Stuart Outten turned up for work for a typical night shift on a busy London borough on 7th August 2019,” Nikki Yianni wrote on the page. “At around midnight PC Outten, along with a female colleague have attempted to stop a vehicle which it is believed was driving with no insurance.”
After Rodwan allegedly produced the weapon, “PC Outten has bravely fought off the attacker but not before substaining several deep laserations to his head and hands.”
“Stuart was rushed to a London hospital where he was looked after by the amazing staff. He underwent surgery shortly after he arrived due to the injuries from the attack. He is currently being looked after by his supportive family and friends as well as his extended police family.”
It was Outten’s quick thinking and taser use that ultimately appeared to save his life. Despite the fact that he was severely injured, he managed to tase his attacker and subdue him.
“Despite the ferocity of the attack, and the seriousness of the wounds he had already received, PC Outten somehow managed to discharge his Taser weapon which disabled the defendant and brought the attack to an end,” prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC later said, according to Metro.
“The evidence suggests that had he not managed to fire his Taser, his injuries could have been far worse and even fatal,” he continued, describing the attack as “savage.”
“The defendant can be heard on those body worn video recordings making guttural sounds before he started to hack at PC Outten with a machete that he had retrieved from somewhere inside the van.”
“The blows themselves cannot be seen on the body worn camera recordings, but we suggest there are at least four audible chopping blows that you can hear and we say they are quite shocking.”
When backup arrived, Rodwan claimed that he was merely acting in self-defense and said “My life is worth more than his life.”
While the trial is ongoing, many people have pitched in to help raise over £5,000 for Outten to use “as he sees fit.” The £500 goal was doubled within hours of the fundraiser opening, and it was closed shortly afterward.
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