A 26-year-old man, who was apprehended thanks to the deployment of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology for failing to appear at court, now remains in police custody following an assault on a police officer during his arrest.

The incident unfolded on the evening of Saturday, September 9, 2023, when a police van equipped with Live Facial Recognition technology was actively monitoring Wardour Street, W1.

At approximately 20:15 BST, the LFR system identified the 26-year-old individual as being wanted for failing to appear for sentencing on May 5, 2023, at Thames Magistrates’ Court. This identification prompted officers to approach and detain the individual.

However, upon apprehension, the man assaulted a police officer. In addition to the “wanted” offense, he was found to be in possession of Class B drugs, leading to his arrest on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and drug possession.

The injured police officer, a sergeant assigned to the Metropolitan Police’s Violent Crime Taskforce, was subsequently transported to a hospital for treatment to head injuries. Fortunately, he has since been discharged and is in a stable condition.

It was revealed that the arrested man had previously been found guilty of two counts of possession of pointed/bladed articles at Thames Magistrates’ Court on April 4, 2023. These convictions stemmed from his arrest on November 16, 2021, in Woodfield Road, W2. Officers had responded to a disturbance, and during the encounter, the individual was found to be in possession of two knives.

As the investigation continues, the arrested man faces multiple charges, including assaulting an emergency worker and drug possession, in addition to the original outstanding warrant for his failure to appear at court.