LONDON — A man accused of brandishing a sword during a rampage in London that killed a teenager, seriously injured two police officers and injured two men appeared in court Thursday to face charges of murder and attempted murder.
Marcus Arduini Monzo, 36, who has dual Spanish and Brazilian nationality, is accused of murdering Daniel Anjorin, 14, who was killed on his way to school on Tuesday morning in a north-east London suburb.
Prosecutor David Burns said Monzo crashed his van in Hainaut before 7am on Tuesday, hitting a man. He then got out of the van and told the man he would kill him before slitting his neck.
He then broke into a nearby house, where a couple was sleeping with their 4-year-old daughter. He shouted that he believed in God and attacked the girl’s father, injuring him in the neck and arm.
Monzo then ambushed Anjorin, cutting his neck and stabbing him in the chest as he lay on the ground.
When officers arrived and tried to help the boy, Monzo jumped out of the bushes and ran away, Burns said. Officers gave chase and Monzo lunged at a female police officer, who suffered “horribly serious injuries”, Police Commissioner Mark Rowley told LBC radio.
Rowley acknowledged the officer nearly lost a hand and said surgeons spent hours “putting his arm back together.”
The policewoman’s partner was also seriously injured in the arm and hand during the confrontation.
Reinforcements from the force then cornered Monzo and used a stun gun to subdue him and take him into custody.
Police said the incident was not considered terrorism-related and did not appear to be targeted.
Monzo, wearing a gray tracksuit and holding his left arm across his chest following his injury in the van crash, made no plea at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and was remanded in custody. Another hearing was scheduled for Tuesday at the Central Criminal Court known as the Old Bailey.
He is charged with two counts each of attempted murder and aggravated battery, as well as two counts of aggravated burglary and possession of a sharp article.
The court appearance came as London voters went to the polls to elect their mayor and local council members after a campaign where crime and trust in the capital’s police were major issues.
Rowley, who heads the Metropolitan Police Service, praised his officers for running toward danger. He said they arrived 12 minutes after receiving the first call and the suspect was arrested 10 minutes later.
ABC News
