Man was running from police when he plunged three floors from hotel window (From Times Series)

Man was running from police when he plunged three floors from Travelodge window in Whetstone

3:02pm Friday 2nd November 2012 in News By Chris Hewett and Jaber Mohamed

A man was running from police when he plunged three floors out of a hotel window this morning.

Officers were sent to the Travelodge, in Whetstone High Road, to arrest the man on suspicion of a burglary offence at 8.50am.

But soon after they arrived, he fell from a top-floor window of the three-storey building onto the concrete pavement below.

The suspect, who is in his 20s, was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital with serious head injuries and police confirmed this afternoon that he remains in a critical condition.

The Metropolitan Police has informed the Director of Professional Standards of the incident as a matter of course and has begun its own inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the man’s fall.

It is thought the victim was staying as a guest at the budget hotelier and police swooped this morning after receiving information of his whereabouts.

A Travelodge spokeswoman confirmed the windows of the hotel should all have catches that restrict them from opening more than 10 inches.

The London Ambulance Service sent one single responder, one ambulance and the air ambulance to the hotel, above Halfords, which remained open today.

The man is believed to have been conscious when he was stretchered into the air ambulance but he had suffered serious head trauma.

Police cordoned off the service road leading into the Travelodge, while officers questioned witnesses.

Richard Kerber, 49, owner of a nearby photography shop, said: “There were a lot of police cars when I came into work this morning and no-one quite knew what had happened - it’s shocking.”