Police footage shows officers tackling a teenager to the ground as he appeared to be carrying a gun near a Premier League football stadium – with the boy in full costume as he made his way to a comic convention.
Unarmed officers were seen running towards the 16-year-old boy, who was wearing a ballistic helmet and tactical gear, near Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge stadium in west London at around 2:30pm on Saturday.
The area was crowded as tens of thousands of supporters were leaving the ground after Chelsea beat local rivals Fulham 2 – 0.
In the footage, the officers are heard telling the boy to get on the floor before taking what appeared to be a handgun from a holster on his leg and a rifle from a bag he was wearing on his back.
They were later found to be imitation firearms.
Police said it emerged the guns had been brightly coloured when first bought but had since been sprayed black to make them look more realistic.
The boy was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of imitation firearms and was taken into custody.
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He explained in a police interview that he had been attending a nearby comic convention that weekend and was in costume.
Social media users on X have said the boy was wearing the same outfit as Hunk from the computer game series Resident Evil.
The teenager admitted the offence of possession of imitation firearms and has since been referred to the youth offending team for “consideration of an appropriate out of court disposal”, police said.
Audio played over the footage of the arrest reveals how a member of the public had earlier called 999 and told operators: “There’s a guy walking out the front of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in full tactical gear and a gun on his hip and he’s absolutely not a police officer.”
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Inspector Rob McDonald, match commander for the football fixture that day, said: “This was a highly unusual and extremely concerning incident which occurred at the worst possible time.
“The match had not long finished and 40,000 spectators were leaving the stadium when information was received about a person dressed in black tactical clothing, wearing a ballistic helmet and carrying firearms, heading towards a major transport hub.
“The unarmed officers who spotted the suspect acted spontaneously and with incredible bravery. They tackled him to the ground to secure the firearms without thought for their own personal safety, only that of tens of thousands of football fans in the immediate area.
“This incident highlights the bravery and selflessness of our police officers who come to work every day to keep the public safe.”
Commander Adam Slonecki, who was in charge of policing across London on the day of the incident, said wandering around in crowded places carrying imitation weapons is “irresponsible”.
He added: “These officers demonstrated quick thinking and truly impressive bravery in the way they responded to this incident.
“While they believed the suspect was potentially armed with multiple weapons, they were all unarmed. They put the safety of the public above any concerns for their own and in doing so did themselves and the Met proud.
“I hope this incident also serves as a reminder to those who may be engaged in ‘cosplay’ or in any other activity that involves dressing up as characters where weapons or armour are involved. Such activity should ideally take place in organised environments where it is obvious to everyone what is going on.
“Wandering around in public, particularly in crowded places, while carrying these items is irresponsible. While those taking part may know their weapons aren’t real, the public do not and nor do our officers.”
