A man accused of attempting to murder four police officers shouted "I want the media here" while wielding a chainsaw at them in broad daylight, a Scottish court has heard. Liridon Kastrati, 32, allegedly crashed a stolen car into a marked police vehicle before chasing officers through the streets of Paisley with the power tool on May 6, 2024.
The incident began around 1:30pm when Kastrati allegedly drove a black Volkswagen Passat at excessive speed down Glasgow Road, mounted the pavement and collided with a police car at the junction with Buchlyvie Road. Two officers, Pcs Kelly Ferris and Gary Cowan, were inside the vehicle when it was struck.
Pc Ferris, 47, told the High Court in Paisley on Thursday she was "completely dazed and quite scared" after the impact. The car was "filling with smoke" from deployed airbags. When she exited the vehicle, she "heard the chainsaw just to my right hand side and looked in that direction".
She testified: "I saw a male chasing my colleague down Glasgow Road." Pc Ferris ran after them, shouting to the man to "put the chainsaw down". When she got within "about a dozen paces", he stopped and turned to face her.
The confrontation
"He was swinging the chainsaw back and forward, and he was shouting to 'get the cameras, I want the media here, get the media here'," Pc Ferris told the court. She said she focused on keeping her distance throughout the incident, adding: "I knew if he got near me he would kill me."
Pc Cowan described being "terrified" during the chase. He told the court on Wednesday he thought his pursuer was going to "saw my arms off, chop my head off".
The court viewed multiple CCTV and mobile phone clips from the five-minute period between the collision and arrest. The footage showed a black car driving along Glasgow Road before striking the police vehicle, and a man in a grey top chasing Pc Cowan, who was in his hi-vis police uniform, down the middle of the road.
Background to the incident
Leonard Kastrati, 29, the defendant's brother, testified that the black Volkswagen Passat belonged to him. He said his brother took the car from his house on Glasgow Road without permission on May 6 while he was traveling to Albania. The chainsaw used in the incident did not belong to him either.
Leonard Kastrati told the court his brother came to the UK "about seven years ago" and has experienced problems with his immigration status since arrival. Liridon Kastrati did not have a UK driving license at the time of the incident.
Officer injuries
Medical examinations showed both officers sustained injuries in the crash. Pc Cowan was diagnosed with a whiplash-type injury and a knee injury that kept him off work for four months. He continues to suffer from knee issues. Pc Ferris also suffered a whiplash-type injury and took three weeks off work.
Kastrati, who appeared in court wearing a green fleece jacket and followed proceedings with an Albanian interpreter, has denied attempting to murder four police officers, breach of the peace and motoring offenses. The trial continues.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
