Knowing the man may have had a knife, the officers rushed to their vehicle and joined the chase.
Sergeant Jack Taylor jumped out to bravely confront the man who was violently wielding a blade.
Body-camera footage shows the ferocity of the attack.
The man slashed Sergeant Taylor and left him with a two-inch cut across the wrist.
Despite suffering the injury, the brave officer continued to pursue the man.
With the help of his Metropolitan Police colleagues, he arrested the offender before he could hurt anyone else.
Reflecting on the incident, Sergeant Taylor said: “I couldn’t let him go on and harm anyone else.”
He continued: “As he slashed the knife up and down, he caught me on my left wrist and then ran off down the road.
“I could see I had been cut but I knew if I stopped at that moment, it might give the suspect a chance to get away.
“I was lucky as the knife just missed my artery – I came back to work the next day.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Ghasem Arabzadeh, 35, of no fixed address was sentenced to a s37 Hospital Order at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday, 7 January after pleading guilty to actual bodily harm.”
Sergeant Taylor received a Commissioner’s Commendation for his actions.
He said: “I’ve been a police officer for six years, but this incident made me realise the seriousness of the incidents police face every day.
“I don’t consider myself brave, but my colleagues are – they put themselves out there and deal with serious situations on a daily basis.”
Detective Superintendent Vicky Tunstall, Neighbourhood Policing’s Lead in Tower Hamlets’ said: “Acting Police Sergeant Jack Taylor showed incredible courage to take on a knife-wielding offender without any consideration for himself, in order to save those around him.
“Without hesitation and with quick thinking, Jack jumped out of the car and put himself in harm’s way, and if he hadn’t, a member of the pubic could have been seriously harmed.
“This is the kind of bravery that is routinely undertaken each day by our police officers and demonstrates selflessness in order to protect our communities.
“Myself and the team are immensely proud of Jack and he has been duly awarded with a Commissioners Commendation to reflect this act of bravery.”
