Clapham moped pair whose shotgun blast injured bystanders are convicted
Two men whose attempts to evade police led to them losing control of their moped and discharging a firearm they had in their possession have been convicted.
Keymarni King, 18, of Cromer Road, Wandsworth, and Brolynn Dangi, 18, of Unwin Road, Hounslow, both pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence after appearing at Inner London Crown Court on Tuesday.
King also admitted two counts of wounding after he dropped the firearm he was carrying and it discharged injuring two members of the public.
Dangi pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking in relation to the moped they were riding.
King was also convicted of being in breach of an existing criminal behaviour order.
Both men were remanded in custody ahead of sentencing at the same court on November 29.
Detective Constable Emily Foo, a Trident officer from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “The reckless actions of Dangi and King are truly shocking. Knowing they were in possession of a loaded sawn off shotgun, the pair attempted to flee from police who had attempted to stop the stolen moped they were on, riding on the pavement before losing control.
“In their panic to flee, King dropped the firearm which went off – injuring two people and causing damage to a pub window where other people were enjoying their afternoon.
“The fact that the injuries sustained by two innocent people were not more serious, or that more people weren’t injured by the firearm going off, is only down to sheer luck.
“Knowing what had happened, Dangi and King chose to run away – lying to a driver they came across, saying they were being chased by a gang so they could be driven away from the scene.
“However, [we] managed to track the pair through CCTV, identify where they had gone, locate and arrest them.”
The incident unfolded shortly before 5pm on March 1 in Clapham Common Southside.
Officers on patrol saw Dangi and King riding the stolen moped and attempted to stop them. Dangi – who was riding – turned the moped around and drove on the pavement in an attempt to get away. In doing this they collided with an injured a 26-year-old man.
Dangi shortly lost control of the moped and the pair attempted to flee on foot. It was here that King dropped the firearm which discharged, injuring two women – aged 27 and 36 at the time – as they walked down the street.
All three injured people went to hospital and were discharged following treatment.
As Dangi and King fled from the scene, they garden hopped and discarded items such as moped helmets and clothing. These were recovered by police and forensic analysis matched some of the clothing to King.
Forensic analysis of the shotgun that had been left at the scene proved a match to Dangi.
After convincing a member of the public that they were in danger and to drive them away from the immediate area, the pair were dropped in Acre Lane, Brixton.
King was arrested three days after the incident while Dengi was located and arrested on March 12. Both were charged with offences and subsequently pleaded guilty at court.
Pictured top: Keymarni King (left) and Brolynn Dangi (Pictures: The Met)