Man shot as Flying Squad moves to foil robbery

A man has been shot as armed police swooped to foil a robbery on a supermarket.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad along with marksmen carried out a “pre-planned” operation in Wimbledon, south-west London on Monday morning.

The man was shot at around 8.10am in Lacock Close after officers confronted suspected robbers outside a branch of Sainsbury’s in nearby Haydons Road.

He was taken to hospital and no information has been released about his condition.

One witness who was working in the street at the time of the shooting told the Press Association undercover police had tried to catch two armed robbers.

The man, who did not want to be named, said the two men were seen trying to rob a large white van parked outside the Sainsbury’s Local in nearby Haydons Road.

When watching officers, swarmed out of bushes and into the street the two men had fled, he said.

He added: “There was a planned armed robbery on the Sainsbury’s.

“Two guys went to raid it and the cops bounded on them. Seven shots were fired.

“The cops were waiting for them. We were just working here and were on the street when it happened. We heard commotion and then there was silence.

“Then we saw a guy running up the street. When he saw he was turning into a cul de sac he turned and fired on the cops, then they returned fire.

“The guy who was running for sure had a gun. The cops came after him and must have cornered him here (in Lacock Close).”

The Flying Squad’s main focus is robbery and it is known for staging dramatic takedowns of armed robbers as they try to flee the scene of a crime.

It is rare for British armed police to actually fire their guns during operations.

In the year to March 2018, there were 12 incidents in which police firearms were discharged out of 18,746 police firearms operations.

A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “We can confirm an incident took place outside our Haydons Road Local earlier this morning.

“We’re supporting the police with their investigation.”

A second man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to rob.

Watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct is carrying out its own investigation into the shooting.

One resident told local news website GetWestLondon that they had seen “lots of undercover police cars and lots of police with guns around”.

They added: “Someone was put into an ambulance with a large bandage wrapped around their arm.

“Heard police radioing for ambulance, saying that someone had been shot.”