Unarmed UK Cops Had Rampaging Gunman in Sight

Police in northern England say three officers gave chase to taxi driver Derrick Bird as he rampaged through picturesque villages on the country's northwest coast, but two of the unarmed officers were forced to abandon their pursuit when he took aim at them.

Bird, 52, killed 12 people in several Cumbrian towns, including his twin brother, before turning the gun on himself.

Although most regional forces do have a firearms unit, the vast majority of British police officers do not carry guns.

The first police officer to spot Bird heard some of the initial gunshots in the town of Whitehaven on the morning of June 2, according to Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Hyde.

The officer came out of the police station, saw the barrel of a shotgun sticking out of Bird's car window, and immediately commandeered a vehicle to give chase.

As the pursuit continued, Bird took aim at two people in a third, oncoming vehicle. The officer stopped to provide emergency first aid to the car's passengers.

Two more officers, also unarmed, then began chasing Bird in a police van. They were forced to abandon their pursuit when Bird pulled into a driveway and pointed his gun at them.

Hyde commended the officer's actions and said without their attempts to track the suspect and radio in his movements for as long as possible, it could have been an even longer ordeal.

In the time between the pair of police officers abandoning their chase, and Bird being found dead in a wooded area, nine more people were killed.

"This incident was unprecedented and exceptional circumstances were fast-moving and highly dangerous," Hyde told reporters. "Had any officer or member of staff had the clear opportunity to stop Bird, I am confident they would have taken it."

Hyde defended his department, saying; "at no point did they have an opportunity to end the killings sooner."

"These officers were at the time unarmed and in a vehicle not suitable for a high-speed pursuit," read a statement from the police force. "Whilst they had no opportunity to bring an end to Bird's rampage they provided valuable information regarding his whereabouts and likely route."