British police say three people have been arrested over the alleged attempted murder of a police officer as violent riots swept through London for a third night and spread to other cities for the first time.
London police said early Tuesday that the suspects were detained and arrested in the Brent area of north London, after a police officer was struck by a car and hospitalized.
The officer and a colleague, who suffered minor injuries, had stopped a number of cars in the belief that the occupants had been involved in the looting of a nearby electrical store.
Police say in a statement the officer was seriously hurt as one of the cars drove away from the scene. It was later stopped and the three people inside were arrested.
Two nights of rioting in London’s Tottenham neighborhood erupted following protests over the shooting death by police of a local man, Mark Duggan. Police were arresting him when the shooting occurred. Over 170 people were arrested over the two nights of rioting, and fires gutted several stores, buildings, and cars. The disorder spread to other neighborhoods as well, with shops being looted in the chaos. Collected here are images from the rioting and the aftermath. — Lane Turner
London Riots Video
London Riots Photos
Fire rages through a building in Tottenham on Aug. 7, 2011. (Lewis Whyld/PA/AP)
Police officers make their way on the streets in Tottenham on Aug. 7, 2011
Riot police officers escort an injured man after arresting him in Tottenham on Aug. 7, 201
A policeman in riot gear stands guard in Tottenham Aug. 7, 2011
A rioter throws a burning wooden plank at police in Tottenham Aug. 7, 2011
Mounted police officers chase rioters on the streets in Tottenham Aug. 7, 2011
Burnt out cars lie in the road after riots on Tottenham High Road on August 7, 2011
Animals are taken from a pet store after riots on Tottenham High Road on August 7, 2011
Source: Yahoo news and boston.com