Video: Catalan police officer’s head cam films man trying to stab him

“It’s the police, put the knife down!” It’s a familiar start to many arrests made by security forces the world over. But when the Mossos d’Esquadra Catalan regional police gave the order while trying to detain a man in Barcelona’s Poblenou neighborhood on Saturday afternoon, the suspect was unwilling to comply.

Instead, the attacker launched himself at the arresting officer, trying to stab him in an incident that was recorded on the camera the policeman had installed in his helmet.

When the police appear, Jorge throws himself at one of them with the knife, but the officer stops him with his plastic shield

The operation occurred after a neighbor had reported that the man was throwing objects and threatening another resident. He grew more and more violent and the police decided to take action after they suspected he was carrying a knife.

In the video, the officers can be heard asking the attacker, named Jorge, to open the door. “If you don’t open up, we’ll come in,” they warn before proceeding to break the door down with a sledgehammer.

When the officers appear, Jorge throws himself at one of them with the knife, but the officer stops him with his plastic shield. The police restrain him and an emergency health worker injects him with a sedative. No one was injured in the attack.

English version by Nick Funnell.