A police officer run down by a car in north-east London has shared an image of himself in hospital, thanking people for support and adding he is “lucky to be alive”.
The unnamed officer, whose name on Twitter is Response Squirrel, was struck in the early hours of Monday morning in Woodford Green.
An image of a Mini Cooper was released on Monday, and the Metropolitan Police continued to search for the driver on Tuesday.
Detective Sergeant Jose-Paulo Qureshi also said that the officer, aged in his 30s, was “lucky not to have been killed” following the incident in Chigwell Hill.
Underneath his Twitter post was a photo of a pair of legs in a hospital, of which the left was in a cast.
He said: “Im lucky to be alive... Been a long night. Not slept a wink. 100's of positive msgs. Thank you everyone who treated me.”
On the Twitter account, the officer also says he was assaulted for the first time on duty on New Year’s Eve.
The officer said: “Bit of a fat lip and cut. Suppose there is a first time for everything. Nicked the fella needless to say.”
Speaking of Monday’s incident, Detective Sergeant Qureshi said: “The officer was simply doing his duty when he was struck by the vehicle and seriously injured – he’s lucky not to have been killed.
“The suspects fled the scene, despite knowing they had hit an officer, leaving him seriously injured in the road.”
The officer who was injured was trying to deploy a stinger to stop the Mini Cooper, a statement from the police said.
Mr Qureshi added: “We are working around the clock to find the people responsible. I would appeal to those who were involved to do the right thing and hand yourself in.”
Anyone with information or dash cam footage is asked to call the Incident Room on 020 8597 4874, police on 101 quoting CAD 0043/6JAN or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
