Yoga teacher Jill Cartwright, was celebrating her last day at work with four friends at the Thai Silk restaurant on The Cut, a street packed with restaurants that runs between Waterloo and Southwark stations.

She said:
"We saw the man run past followed by two policemen and we were laughing at it, singing the theme to The Bill. Suddenly the man they were chasing pulled out a gun. He didn't even look around properly. He just pulled the trigger and blasted away.

She continued :
‘We heard the two cracks of the gun. We all just dived on the floor and under the table. It happened around 10 metres from where we were sitting. None of us could believe it."

It is understood two officers recognised the man as a known suspect and gave chase during the incident on Wednesday afternoon . One officer suffered a minor wound when a bullet grazed his leg as he dived for cover. He was treated for shock in hospital. Armed officers were immediately despatched - a manhunt continues for the cyclist.

August 7, 2009