Brave cops battle raging rave mob to save teen lives
Three heroic officers faced a furious crowd of up to 3,000 revellers at an illegal rave in a North Circular Road warehouse – and still managed to rescue two teens in mortal danger.
Rave chaos turns violent
PC Ben Shaylor, PC Ali Khan, and PC James Whittaker were on night duty in February 2020 when they were called to break up the unlicensed party.
“We had a rough idea of numbers,” PC Shaylor said. “But when we showed up, it was a whole different ballgame.”
The warehouse was packed with between 1,000 and 1,500 people inside and another 1,000 outside desperate to get in.
The cops manned the gate to stop more revellers entering – but the mob charged at them. Wearing only regular uniforms, no protective gear, they fought to hold the line.
Rescuing a girl on a wet fire escape
Supervisors alerted them a teenage girl had fallen inside. The officers rushed in to help the 15-year-old who had slipped two storeys up on a dripping metal fire escape.
“She had a severely dislocated knee and was in excruciating pain,” PC Shaylor said. “We began treating her, trying to splint her leg and carry her down, when the crowd started throwing missiles at us – gas canisters, bricks, masonry. We weren’t wearing helmets, so we took the hits on our backs to protect her.”
Despite the chaos and hostility, the daring trio got her safely to an ambulance and rushed back inside.
Life-saving first aid amid flying missiles
Inside, they found an unconscious teenage boy suffering a suspected drug overdose. They inserted an airway and gave vital first aid, saving his life.
Both the girl and boy made a full recovery. The officers, though bruised and battered, walked away with only minor injuries.
National bravery nod for fearless trio
PC Shaylor said, “We don’t go out looking for recognition. Others do far braver things. But it’s humbling to be nominated.”
Metropolitan Police Federation Chairman Ken Marsh praised the officers:
“They put their own safety to the back of their minds to save these young people, acting as human shields. This was a volatile crowd and things could have been much worse.”
The fearless three are now nominees for the National Police Bravery Awards, which honour officers showing exceptional courage across England and Wales.
They will attend the awards ceremony in London this July.
