ROOF-TOP FIGHT IN LONDON

Chronicle (Levin), 30 December 1946, Page 7

ROOF-TOP FIGHT IN LONDON

GUNMAN WANTED ON MURDER CHARGE ^ Received Sunday, 7 p.m. LONDON, Dec. 27. One hundred poiice were ruslied to a building in Marchmont Street (Holburn) and exchanged sliots with a nian on the roof, reports Reuters. The poiice cordoned off the building, and, when the man began sliooting with a revolver the crowds watched a scene that was reminiscent of the Sidney Str6et siege. A poiice constable was shot in the eye before the man was arrested. The poiice were searching for a man involved in the fatal shooting of a Jamaican airman, following a quarrel, in.a New Cavendish Street cafe on December 25. The battle began when two plainclothes policemen cliased a nian whoin •they suspected. The man pulled out a gun in the middle of a busy shopping centre and flred at people who were trying to lielp the detectives. Then the fugitive dived through the doorway of a cafe and went on to the roof, pursued by detectives and others who joined in the chase. The first of the poiice to arrive were unarmed, including Constable A. Bowswell, who led the chase across the roof. The nian fired and Constable Roswellfell with a buliet wound in the eye. By •that time radio cars had called up poliee reinforeements, and the block of buildings was surrounded. The fugitive was finally oveipowered on the roof by armed poiice, and bundled into a poiice van. Constable Rowswell was admitted to hospital uneonscious. The chase lasted 70 minutes. The man's dash through the streets and buildings was accompanied by the screams of women. He sought refuge on the roof of a fivestoreyed private hotel, broke through a skylight, and rushed through the liouse, breaking open doors, and overturning cages of prize birds with the poiice just behind him. The Jamaican airman, Aloysius Abbott, for whose fatal shooting on Chris'tmas Day tlie detectives were seeking* the gunman, was shot three times. The gunman had struck a waitress in the cafe because slie was serving coloured nieu. First Abbott threw the gunman out of the cafe, and sliots were fired while Abbott was standing in the doorway. A dramatie battle is now being waged in the operating room of the Royal Free Hospital to save Constable Rowswell 's eyesight. The slLOt struck him in a glancing fashion across the eye. Constable Rowswell, who is 6ft 3in, holds 10 commeiidations from the Commissioner of Poiice, and also the British Empire Medal. Ho was awarded the Royal Humane Society 's certilicate for rescUiug women ' from drowning at Sheerness in 1938. A laler massage says that Frederick Rowiand Westbrook, aged 27, of no j fixed address, was eliarged at the Tottenham Court Road poliee station tliis' eveniug with murdering Aloysius Ab bott. Westbrook will appear at the Alarlborough Street Magislrate's Court tomorrow. - _ Street Battle of 1911. The roof-top poiice chase reported recalls the sensational Tiglit iii London on January 3, 1911, when poliee attempting to arrest a waniau were lired upon from tli e building at No. 100 Sidney Street, in which she lived. A fusillade of firing developed and over a tliousand poiice were called to the scene to battle with a pafty of anarcliist gunmen in side the building. The building took fire and loud explosions occurred while the battle went on, The then Home Secretary, ktr. Winston Churchill, dariugly entered the firing zone to survey | the house, and was persuaded to take shelter. Three policemen were killed I and others wounded. Several bodies of aiiarchists were found in the ruins when tlie fire was sifbdued.