Armed cop clings for life as suspect ploughs car towards him in terrifying escape bid
Officer Left Clinging to Bonnet as Suspect Speeds Off
An armed police officer told the Old Bailey how he feared for his life after a suspected gunman sped straight towards him, trying to flee from the law.
PC Crowder was left hanging onto the bonnet of a black Mercedes as driver Aydin Altun, 26, smashed the accelerator and tried to run him down.
The drama unfolded during an attempt to arrest Altun for firing a gun in north London just a day earlier. PC Crowder was part of a three-man Armed Response Vehicle team that had spotted the car believed linked to the shooting.
‘I Thought I Was Going to Die’ – Officer’s Harrowing Account
As the Mercedes was stopped, officers ordered Altun out at gunpoint. But instead of complying, Altun “gunned forward at speed” and targeted PC Crowder.
“I was thrown onto the bonnet of the car,” PC Crowder told the court. “I remember being scared for my life; I thought I was going to die.”
“I remember thinking: ‘If this car was going to kill me, I was going to die.’”
He was later flung onto the concrete with such force that he drifted in and out of consciousness, bleeding heavily on the road.
Suspect Flees, Family Implicated in Cover-Up
Altun sped away and abandoned the Mercedes on a Tottenham driveway. Video footage captured an injured PC Crowder struggling to stay conscious, while colleagues identified Altun as the driver.
Altun’s sister, Hamin Altun, 24, then called police to report the stolen Mercedes missing. But prosecutors revealed the car had a tracking device akin to a SIM card, pinning it to the area where the shooting occurred.
The key to the Mercedes was later found in a handbag belonging to Altun’s mother, Sutan Altun, 54.
Charges and Court Battle
- Aydin Altun denies attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, firearm possession with intent to endanger life, and possession of a firearm without a certificate.
- His mother Sutan and sister Hamin deny attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The trial continues.
