Police bodycam footage has captured the moment a knifeman who killed a Porsche driver in scenes likened to a “Wild West” attack was tackled and arrested by officers.
Awad Abdel Samad, 24, had claimed he acted in self-defence when he killed 19-year-old Mohamed Abdi during an outbreak of violence on Edgware Road on the evening of June 4, 2024.
But Samad believed Abdi had been involved in the kidnapping and torture of a friend two days earlier and seized the chance to exact revenge, a judge told the Old Bailey on Thursday.
CCTV, released by Met Police, shows officers arresting Samad inside a supermarket, tackling him over the counter.
One officer can be heard shouting: “Off the phone. Drop the phone now, drop it! Get your arms out... you’re under arrest for murder.”
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Police had been called to reports of a fight on Bell Street, at the junction with Edgware Road, shortly before 11pm on June 4 2024.
Upon arrival at the scene, officers found Mohamed Abdi suffering from a knife-wound injury.
They administered CPR before London Ambulance Service paramedics arrived.
Samad and Abdi, who knew each other before the murder, had been driving down Edgware Road in separate cars in the lead-up to the attack.
Moments earlier, Abdi had pulled his Porsche Cayenne up behind Samad’s Seat Leon in traffic and flashed his lights. The occupants of both cars then got out and began fighting in the street, each armed with knives.
After disarming Abdi, Samad chased him back to his vehicle. Before Abdi could close the door, Samad stabbed him three times. The fatal attack was over within 25 seconds of the Porsche’s lights being flashed, police said.
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Police were able to use CCTV from the scene to clearly prove the events of the night. The video showed the incident itself, and was used by detectives to identify the victim and killer.
The footage was used alongside thorough analysis of phone data to trace the suspects from their homes to the scene of the crime.
Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Denby, of Specialist Crime South, said: "The attack which left Abdi dead took just 25 seconds. It is a stark and brutal example of the horrors of gang violence.
"Samad tried to evade police and escape justice. He even travelled to a hospital in Luton, giving a fake name, to be treated for injuries he sustained in the attack.
"Officers used advanced analysis of technical data alongside CCTV of the event to prove without doubt that Samad was the person who killed Abdi and trace them away from the scene.
"We will continue to work tirelessly and use all our resources to bring violent criminals to justice and make London a safer city."
Samad was jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years for murder on Thursday.
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