Shocking video shows a teenage gang dancing and rapping in celebration after carrying out a brutal gun and knives attack on young man at a busy east London station.
Four teenagers - Elisandro Pinto Alves, Hanzell Greenaway, and Jaheim Thomas, all 18, and 19-year-old Marvin Edokpolo - have now been sentenced to a total of over 77 years for attempted murder.
Video released by British Transport Police (BTP) shows the moment they ambushed their victim while he tried to take shelter in a lift at Hackney Central station, leaving him fighting for his life.
A 64-year-old woman was in the lift at the time, and narrowly avoided being injured as the thugs opened fire and brandished knives in the “shocking” attack.
Another disturbing video clip found on one of the assailant’s phones shows the gang dancing and rapping about the attack, while brandishing a samurai-style sword.
Snaresbrook Crown Court heard how Edokpolo was on a train around 1.10pm on March 1 last year, when he became aware the victim was also on the train, heading into Hackney.
He contacted Greenaway, who was in a McDonalds near Hackney Central with Thomas and Pinto Alves.
The trio left McDonalds and headed to the station to meet the train.
They found their 20-year-old victim waiting for a lift on the ground level platform.
Realising the three teenagers were approaching him, he pulled out a knife. At the same time, Greenaway began slashing his own knife towards him.
Behind them, the lift doors opened, revealing a 64-year-old woman who had just travelled down from the above level.
The victim retreated into the small lift. As the woman inside attempted to avoid the slashing knife, the victim was stabbed.
He managed to push Greenaway out of the lift, but was stabbed again.
He managed to get himself back to the lift as the two other teenagers approached. Pinto Alves with a knife slashing at the victim, and Thomas with a gun. Thomas then shot into the lift, while the victim used the woman as a shield.
The trio then fled the station on bikes. Armed BTP officers arrived on the scene minutes later, followed shortly by London Ambulance Service.
The victim sustained life-threatening injuries, including slash wounds and a gunshot to the leg.
He received life-saving treatment from paramedics at the scene and on his way to hospital. The woman in the lift managed to avoid being physically unharmed.
Police retrieved “significant” evidence from the scene, including a knife, phone charger and cable, blood, a bullet, and bullet casing.
They used CCTV, mobile phone data, and vehicle tracking to trace the attackers’ movements between London, Dunstable, and Folkestone.
On March 3, a vehicle that believed to contain Greenaway and Thomas was tracked to a location in London.
Met police officers stopped the car and found five people inside, including Greenaway, Thomas, and Pinto Alves.
They found a live gun beneath the car, which was later confirmed to be the firearm used in the attack.
Edokpolo was arrested days later, on March 7.
On May 22, all four men were found guilty of attempted murder.
Pinto Alves, Greenaway, and Thomas were also each found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, two counts of possession of a pointed / bladed article in a public place, and violent disorder.
At Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday (August 7), Edokpolo, of Dalston Lane in Hackney, was sentenced to 22 years and three months in prison.
Greenaway and Thomas each received 19-year sentences, while Pinto Alves was sentenced for a total of 17 years.
The judge ordered for the men to serve two-thirds of their sentences with the remainder on license.
Senior investigating officer Paul Attwell said: “This was a shocking attack in broad daylight that was fortunate not to be fatal, not only to the intended victim but the innocent witness in the lift.
“Thankfully, incidents of violence involving firearms on the rail network are extremely rare, but when they do occur we will do everything in our power to bring those responsible to justice.
“This was a highly complex investigation and I thank those at BTP who worked tirelessly to build this case. This outcome reflects their hard work and professionalism, and I’m grateful to see these sentencings handed down.”
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