In a shocking incident emblematic of the rising chaos in some parts of Britain, a young man wielding a large knife narrowly escaped being run over by a Mercedes, which appeared to be deliberately aiming for him. This unsettling episode unfolded in the usually tranquil suburb of Hanwell, London, and was captured on video.
The footage reveals a young individual casually brandishing what looks like a sizeable machete. As he glances over his shoulder, a white 4×4 Mercedes suddenly veers towards him, seemingly attempting to pin him against a wall. In a desperate move, the young man leaps out of harm’s way just in time.
The Mercedes then crashes into a row of houses on Boston Road, causing significant damage as the wall and fence crumble upon impact. The Daily Mail obtained the CCTV footage, showcasing the dramatic moment of collision.
Despite his close call, the young man appears unfazed. He is seen laughing and recording the aftermath of the crash, even attempting to break the car’s window with his knife to confront the driver. However, the reinforced glass withstands his efforts.
Failing to penetrate the window, he opts to photograph the driver with his phone. Just moments later, the vehicle reverses from the crash site and speeds away, leaving behind a scene of destruction and disbelief.
When he is unable to break the reinforced glass, he instead takes a picture of the driver on his phone – moments before it reverses out of the crash scene and races away.
The footage, taken last Saturday, then shows the knifeman sprinting down the street, still holding the knife.
One local, who did not want to be named, told the Daily Mail: ‘The car was turning in at the top of Boston Road and the guy who had the machete was standing there on the curb. I think he was probably waiting for the car – or at least that is what it looked like.
A youth was caught carrying a giant knife down Boston Road in a quiet London suburb
A white Mercedes vehicle is then caught swerving towards him as it mounts the pavement
The youth then uses the knife to try and smash the car’s window to allow him to get at his attacker
‘When the car turned in he started attacking it and tried to break the windshield. He then started to run from one side of the road to the other, approaching the corner near to where the crash happened.
‘He was calling the people in the car to get out of the car and the guy driving the car slowly started to approach before trying to hit him but the guy with the knife jumped out of the way.
‘Then the guy with the machete broke part of their window before running down the street to a carpark near the back.
‘I think it was probably gang-related. They 100 per cent knew each other. They were talking to each other so they were clearly known to one another.
‘They didn’t look very old, maybe 20-23. It is crazy, in the middle of the day on a Saturday too.’
The man added: ‘I’ve been living around here for more than a decade and this sort of thing never happens. And like I said it looked pre-planned and like they knew each other.
‘It looked like they had arranged a time to meet.’
A business owner on the road said: ‘At least no one was hurt.
The front wall of the house was left in rubble as the vehicle sped off, chased by the knife wielding youth
‘It’s kids who don’t have the brain cells to realise walking around with a knife is not okay.
‘It’s a problem with young people today. They spend all their time on their phones rather than going out getting a job or even doing something simple like picking up a book.
‘We heard the crash and the crumbling of the bricks, so we ran outside but then we saw this bloke walking round with a blade. He ran off quickly down that alleyway.’
A passerby added: ‘It was probably drug-related. Someone on the others’ territory or something like that.
‘They were obviously known to each other. Probably filming for some TikTok or something.
‘But this is a nice area and not something you want happening at the end of your street.’
Another homeowner nearby added: ‘We weren’t actually here at the time but from what the police have said they are looking into the motor incident and the actual crime of the man walking around with the machete.’
A third said: ‘You always hear about this sort of knife crime in London but this is the first time something like this has happened around here.’
Earlier footage recorded on January 17 at around 2.45pm, showed the man with the knife loitering at the top of the road, as if waiting for someone.
The white Mercedes is then seen turning the corner, with the young man holding the knife running into the road and appearing to confront the driver. He tried to break the windshield and passenger side window with the knife, according to onlookers.
The man with the weapon then crosses in front of the car before running down the street, appearing to be beckoning the car to come towards him.
He then crosses back over and begins walking down the street holding the huge knife – with many passersby initially unaware.
It is then that he is further chased down by the car and the crash in front of the residential properties occurred.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Metropolitan Police.
