Armed Police Officer ‘Feared He Would Be Killed’ As Suspected Gunman Sped Off With The Officer Clinging To His Car

An armed police officer has told a court how he feared that he would be killed after a suspected gunman sped towards him in a bid to try and escape from the police. 

The officer ended up clinging to the bonnet of the car as Aydin Altun, 26, sped away in his black Mercedes. 

PC Crowder and his colleagues were trying to arrest Altun for firing a gun in Tottenham north London when Altun allegedly ‘gunned forward at speed’ and ‘tried to kill’ the officer. 

Twenty-four hours before the incident, it is alleged that Altun had fired a gun. PC Crowder was part of a three-person Armed Response Vehicle team who spotted the black Mercedes that they believed had been involved in the shooting. 

After the black Mercedes was brought to a stop, PC Crowder and his colleagues ordered Altun to exit the vehicle at gunpoint. However, the Old Bailey has heard how Altun hit the accelerator and drove at PC Crowder who ended up on the bonnet of the car as he held on for his life. 

PC Crowder ended up being flung onto the concrete with such force that he was in-and-out of consciousness as he bled as he lay on the road. 

Altun sped away from the scene and dumped the car on a driveway on Tiverton Road, Tottenham. 

Addressing the court, PC Crowder said:

‘I could see the driver’s hands. They were on the steering wheel.

‘As I cleared the front of the bonnet, I saw the driver turn his steering wheel towards me.

‘I was thrown onto the bonnet of the car.

‘I remember being scared for my life; I thought I was going to die.

‘I remember thinking: “If this car was going to crash, I was going to die.”

‘I can’t remember clearly whether I was hanging on the bonnet.

‘I do remember my hand touching where the bonnet meets the windscreen.’

During a pre-patrol briefing that was given to the officers before the incident, PC Crowder and his colleagues were shown pictures of Altun and his father so that they could identify the suspects. 

Bodyworn video footage from the incident showed PC Crowder telling his colleague that it was ‘the younger one who was the driver’ as the injured officer lay on the ground barely conscious and bleeding heavily. 

PC Petford told the court: ‘He went in and out of consciousness where he didn’t respond to what I said.’

Jurors also heard how Altun’s sister, Hamin Altun, 24, later called the police to report the Mercedes that was involved in the incident as missing. 

Prosecutor Martyn Bowyer said: 

What she may well have been unaware of was that the Mercedes had something similar to a SIM card in it.

‘At the moment of the shooting the vehicle was in the vicinity of Fairfax Road and spent the night in Edmonton.’

Data later taken from Aydin Altun’s phone SIM card confirmed the handset and the car were in approximately the same location at the same time.

The key to the Mercedes was later found in a handbag belonging to Sutan Altun’s bag – Altun’s 54-year-old mother, Sutan Altun.

Aydin Altun, of Suffolk Road, Tottenham, denies attempted murder, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, and possessing 9mm short calibre without a firearms certificate.

Sutan Altun and Hanim Altun, also of Suffolk Road, deny attempting to pervert the cause of justice.

The trial continues.