A man who smashed into an armed policeman as he tried to speed away from officers investigating a shooting has been jailed for nearly 12 years.
Aydin Altun, 26, sped towards officers – who were shouting ‘armed police, show me your hands’ – in a bid to get away in Tottenham, North London, in October last year.
Footage showed his car slamming into PC Lewis Crowder, who was left clinging to the bonnet of the black Mercedes as the driver zig-zagged across the road to throw him off the car.
After a few seconds on the bonnet, the officer was seen somersaulting across the road onto the pavement.
His mobile phone was left embedded in between the bonnet and the windscreen of the speeding car.
PC Crowder later said he thought he was going to die as he clung on to the car for dear life before throwing himself off in a bid to survive.
The Met’s Specialist Crime Command were investigating a reported shooting in Haringey, north London, after an empty car was found riddled with bullet holes.
Witnesses reported seeing a black Mercedes leaving the scene and the next day on October 29 last year a similar car was spotted three miles away in White Hart Lane.
When it pulled over and stopped, partly on to the pavement, firearms officers who had followed the vehicle raised their weapons and ordered the driver to show his hands.
Altun, 26, will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, after he was found guilty of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent
CCTV and body-worn video footage showed Altun then drive forward at speed, throwing one PC Crowder onto the bonnet.
The officer was left clinging onto it as the car accelerated towards White Hart Lane Station before flying onto the pavement.
Not long after, the car was found abandoned around half a mile away.
The officer lapsed in and out of consciousness and received major grazing and cuts to his head, elbow, knuckles and hand and was taken to hospital but later discharged, police said.
A manhunt was launched for Altun and he handed himself in to police the next day.
The armed police officer said he was ‘scared for his life,’ as he saw Aydin Altun accelerate towards him in a black Mercedes
Altun zig-zagged along the road to try and throw the armed officer off the bonnet, as passers-by looked on in shock
Despite being hit by a car in the middle of the day, there was little traffic on the road and the officer managed to avoid nearby street furniture as he was thrown from the car
At the Old Bailey Altun was convicted of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent and jailed for 11 years and nine months.
He was also disqualified from driving for 12 years and 10 months.
In court, PC Crowder described his fear that he would be killed as he hung onto the speeding car.
He told the hearing: ‘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.’
Sentencing Altun, Judge Wendy Joseph QC said he had shown the ‘grossest recklessness towards the officer’.
She also praised PC Crowder’s bravery in throwing himself off the bonnet and said the consequences would have been ‘catastrophic’ if he had not done so.
Four men, two aged 17, one 18 and another 19-year-old, were also arrested the same day after Altun on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Officers later found the Mercedes abandoned, with the officer’s mobile phone still lodged between the windscreen and its wiper
Passers-by ran to the officers aid as the car sped off, Altun will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday
All were taken to North London police stations and questioned but were released with no further action, Scotland Yard said.
Louisa Rolfe, assistant commissioner of Met Operations, said: ‘I’m pleased that the dangerous individual who drove at an officer and put his life in danger has been sentenced to 11 years and nine months.
‘I also welcome the news that he has been further disqualified from driving and will not be back on our roads anytime soon.
‘Thankfully such incidents are rare, but being an officer in London can be tough and officers can face danger every day.
‘However, this does not stop the amazing, dedicated and professional men and women putting on their uniforms, going out there on the streets of London and continuing our mission of keeping everyone safe.
‘We do not tolerate any violence towards our officers and we relentlessly pursue anyone assaulting our officers to bring them to justice.
‘Such incidents and convictions strengthen our resolve to root out and bear down on violent crime in all its forms and make us more determined to protect our public.’