Man hands himself in after pedestrian 'pushed into road'

A man has handed himself in to police after an appeal was launched to find a pedestrian who appeared to push a commuter into the path of rush-hour traffic in central London.

CCTV footage released by City of London police on Tuesday appears to show a 57-year-old man being shoved into the road on New Bridge Street, which leads to Blackfriars Bridge. A taxi managed to stop just in time to avoid hitting the man, who fell on to his front, sustaining grazes to his hands and arms.

On, Wednesday, police said a man had contacted police and agreed to a voluntary interview.

The incident occurred at about 8am on 23 July. The pedestrian, who was briefly dazed after the incident, told officers that he and another man had brushed shoulders and exchanged words moments earlier. He continued on his way to work but was then pushed into the road, he said.

Members of the public assisted him and some followed the suspect to confront him. One member of the public took a photo of the suspected pusher, which was released by police alongside the CCTV footage.

A City of London officer said: “The quick-thinking actions of the taxi driver undoubtedly prevented this incident having much more severe consequences for the victim. However, he is still naturally shocked and horrified by what happened to him.”

The case has parallels with that of the Putney Bridge jogger, who pushed a woman into the path of a bus in south-west London last year. The bus driver was hailed as a hero after swerving to avoid the 33-year-old. The jogger became notorious after CCTV footage was released. However, in that case, the investigation was closed, in June this year, as police said all lines of inquiry had been exhausted.