Dramatic footage shows the moment police swoop in to arrest a ‘Wild West’ murderer in a shop months after he killed a man.
Awad Abdel Samad was jailed for a minimum of 27 years for murdering teenager Mohamed Abdi in what was described as a murder out of the ‘Wild West’.
The 24-year-old stabbed Abdi, 19, three times as he attempted to get back into his car in Westminster, central London, in an attack that lasted a mere 25 seconds.
Following his sentence, police released footage of officers raiding a store months after the attack to arrest Samad.
Officers are heard shouting at Samad, who is at the till, to drop his phone and telling him that he’s under arrest for murder.
He was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 27 years, last week.
Getaway driver Mohamad El-Hazzaa, 27, was also jailed for his role.
A trial at the Old Bailey heard 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.
Whilst in traffic, the men got out of their cars and fought in the street.
Abdi then attempted to retreat back to his car, but before he was able to shut the car door, Samad attacked him with a knife, stabbing his victim three times.
Within just 25 seconds, the fatal attack, in early June last year, was over.
Police officers responded to reports of a fight shortly before 11pm and found 19-year-old Mohamed Abdi bleeding with knife-wound injuries.
They administered CPR before London Ambulance Service paramedics arrived.
Police were able to use CCTV from the scene to prove the events of the night to jurors, which prosecutors described as ‘like something from the Wild West’.
The footage showed the incident itself and was used by detectives to identify the victim and killer, alongside analysis of phone data to trace the suspects from their homes to the scene of the crime.
Samad was later arrested in October on suspicion of murder and possession of a bladed article.
He was convicted of both charges following a trial and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 27 years for murder, with a further 12 months to run concurrently for the second charge.
Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Denby, of Specialist Crime South, said: “The attack which left Abdi dead took just 25 seconds.
“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.”
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El-Hazzaa had not participated in the violence but acted as a getaway driver, rushing Samad away from the scene.
In the following hours, the driver swapped his phone and booked a flight to leave the country.
When El-Hazzaa returned in November, officers were waiting for him at the airport.
He was convicted of perverting the course of justice and jailed for three years, as well as being disqualified from driving for three years and six months.
