A man has been convicted of fatally stabbing a Porsche driver in a chaotic incident compared to the “Wild West.” Awad Abdel Samad, 24, argued self-defense in the killing of Mohamed Abdi, 21, during a violent episode on Edgware Road in central London last year. However, the jury dismissed his claim and found Abdel Samad, from Westminster, guilty of murder.
After about six hours of deliberation, the jury also found Mohamad Mahmoud El-Hazzaa, 26, from Westminster, guilty of obstructing justice. Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC informed jurors of extensive CCTV footage showing the altercation, including a man accidentally shooting himself.
Describing the event as reminiscent of the Wild West, Emlyn Jones detailed the confrontation between two sets of car occupants who knew each other and were traveling in heavy traffic. Abdel Samad, seated in the front of a Seat Leon driven by El-Hazzaa, was armed with a knife when he confronted Abdi, who was driving a Porsche Cayenne.
Abdi, armed with a knife as well, engaged in a scuffle with Abdel Samad, who managed to disarm him by kicking away his weapon. Subsequently, Abdel Samad attacked Abdi with his knife, inflicting fatal wounds. Abdi tried to drive away but succumbed to his injuries on Bell Street.
During the altercation, another individual from the defendants’ car and two from the Porsche joined the fight, with one of the Porsche passengers brandishing a gun that he accidentally fired, injuring himself. The defendants are currently in custody awaiting sentencing by Judge Lynn Tayton KC on November 13.