Gospel Oak knifeman was blasted three times with Taser guns before being sectioned
Zebra crossing in Mansfield Road where the man was Tasered - Credit: Archant
The Gospel Oak knifeman who was Tasered by police on Monday was shot three times with the stun guns, it has emerged.
Two officers fired the electroshock weapons when the 37-year-old refused to lay down the two large knives he was brandishing, one in each hand, by a zebra crossing in Mansfield Road at about 8.30am.
One of the officers reloaded and fired a second shot when their first blast failed to have any effect.
Cemel Aydemir, owner of Mansfield Supermarket opposite the crossing, said: “The police came and they said ‘drop the knife, drop the knife’. They shot him, but he was still holding the knives so they shot him again and he fell down on the ground.
“They searched him and found three or four more knives. It looked like he had some mental health problem.”
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One of the blades was 12 inches long and the other six inches, while police seized at least one more knife that was found in his pockets.
The man was later sectioned under the mental health act, after being arrested and taken to the Royal Free Hospital in Pond Street, Hampstead, by ambulance.
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He was taken to hospital after claiming to have a heart condition, although he was uninjured.
“The police did a good job,” added Mr Aydemir. “They warned him to drop the knives and he didn’t respond. He was just wactching the officers, he didn’t do nothing. Obviously the police have got not choice.”
Tasers were controversially rolled out across Camden in May.
