A 21-year-old armed with a 30-inch Rambo knife wounded a police officer after a dramatic Asda shoplifting gone wrong

A routine shoplifting call spiralled into a terrifying encounter in Worcester when a 21-year-old man, armed with a 30-inch Rambo-style knife, launched a violent assault on a police officer in broad daylight.

Khaleel Rawling, from Hollybank Road in Billesley, triggered panic at the Asda store around 11:30 am. Shoppers froze as he attempted to flee the supermarket with stolen goods. But what began as a theft quickly became a harrowing chase through the city’s streets, ending in broken glass, a bloodied officer, and the chilling sight of a foot-long combat knife.

PC Warren Edmunds, who was on bicycle patrol nearby, pursued Rawling on Foregate Street. The chase ended violently when Rawling hurled the stolen items at the officer, one of which struck Edmunds in the head, leaving a visible cut. But the chaos didn’t stop there.

In a scene straight from an action film, the pursuit ended with both the suspect and the officer crashing into the window of a nearby barbershop. Passers-by looked on in horror as shards of glass rained down and the officer finally subdued the suspect.

Moments later, a search of Rawling uncovered a 30-inch Rambo knife hidden on his person—a weapon so large and sinister it left seasoned officers stunned. Police quickly seized the blade, calling it “a brutal instrument with no place on British streets.”

Rawling was arrested on the spot and later appeared before Kidderminster Magistrates Court. He was sentenced to 32 weeks in prison and ordered to pay just £100 in compensation—an amount many have slammed as insultingly low for the mayhem and violence unleashed that morning.

The court heard Rawling had a history of violence, including previous assaults on police officers. His latest attack marked a worrying escalation, with the presence of a deadly weapon amplifying the sense of threat to the public and law enforcement alike.

Inspector Tanya Beckett of West Mercia Police condemned the attack and praised PC Edmunds’ bravery. “This was a dangerous offender carrying a horrifying weapon. Thanks to the swift actions of our officer, he’s off the streets,” she said. “We will not tolerate assaults on our officers. Our message is clear: if you bring knives onto our streets, expect prison.”

Beckett added that the knife was “rightly seized” and said the case underscored the importance of zero-tolerance policing in town centres plagued by rising retail theft and violence.

Shoppers at the scene were left visibly shaken, with one witness calling it “the scariest thing I’ve ever seen in a supermarket.” Others questioned how a young man could roam the streets armed with such a weapon undetected.

The attack also renewed calls for tougher sentencing for repeat offenders and a crackdown on the availability of large combat knives online and in shops.

As Worcester’s retail workers and emergency services reel from the incident, the broader issue of knife crime remains firmly in focus. Rawling’s case is far from isolated. From London to the Midlands, police forces are seeing a rise in offenders arming themselves with weapons meant for war zones, not shop aisles.

Whether 32 weeks behind bars will deter future attacks remains to be seen. What’s clear is that the public’s patience is wearing thin. In towns like Worcester, the demand for safer streets—and harsher penalties—is growing louder by the day.