A police officer was punched whilst trying to break up a violent fight between a group of delivery drivers in Tooting which involved a metal pole and a knife.

Police were on patrol in Mitcham Road when they noticed a large group of delivery drivers brawling.

A man at the scene tried to appear to police as though he was the main victim, but allegedly CCTV showed that he started the fight and was reportedly swinging at several people with a metal pole.

Police claim that he then tried to give the officers false details.

A witness at the scene pointed out another suspect to police as he tried to walk past the group to leave the area.

When officers grabbed this man, he allegedly had a large knife in his waistband.

He reportedly fought with police trying to escape causing them to use pepper spray, which also hit two of the officers in the crossfire.

An officer was also punched during the arrest.

A large crowd started to form in the area causing officers to call for emergency backup.

A second suspect was arrested and taken to hospital, where he was checked for injuries before being taken into custody.

The initial suspect left during the commotion but was identified and arrested shortly after, using details from his moped at the scene.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “Working As A Team “There comes a time in every officer's career when they need help from their police family, and they need it fast! Luckily, we’re always ready to race to that call here in the South West.

“Officers from our Violence Suppression Unit (VSU) were on mobile patrol on Mitcham Rd in Tooting when they came across a fight between a large number of delivery drivers.

“The person initially presenting as the victim was identified on CCTV as one of the main suspects, starting the fight and then swinging at several people with a metal pole.

“The suspect tried to give the officer false details, naive to the fact that they could identify him through his moped.

“While they were speaking with this male, witnesses pointed another suspect out as he tried to walk past them.

“The VSU quickly grabbed hold of the second person and saw a large knife in his waistband.

“The male fought aggressively with officers trying to escape, resulting in PAVA spray being deployed. Due to the close proximity, two of the officers were also hit in the crossfire.

“The suspect continued to try to run away, aggressively fighting the arrest procedure, resulting in an officer being punched.

“A large crowd started to gather, leaving the officers no choice but to use the big red emergency button for their own and the public's safety.

“Our SWE Response Team C answered the emergency call within what felt like seconds to the VSU. They arrived on the scene and quickly dispersed the crowd, checking officers' welfare and starting to assist with speaking to witnesses and gaining vital first accounts and details from them.

“The second suspect was arrested and taken to hospital, where he was checked for injuries before travelling to custody.

“The initial suspect managed to sneak off during the commotion but was identified and arrested shortly after, using details from his moped at the scene.”