Heroic citizens and officers chased down a stabbing rampage suspect in Sydney, Australia in a dramatic video that shows one citizen approaching the man with a chair. At the end of the video, the suspect ends up with a milk crate on his head.
You can watch the video here. Be aware that the language in it is graphic. You can also see additional videos and photos throughout this article.
Just witnessed incredible bravery from members of the public and @FRNSW officers chasing down a man on a stabbing rampage in Sydney’s CBD. He is now under arrest. @7NewsSydney
In the video, the man, with a bloodied shirt, jumps on a car and shouts something that is hard to hear. At first, a citizen approaches him with a chair. Then, the video cuts to the scene where the suspect is lying on the ground. “You f*cking piece of sh*t,” one man says as the milk crate is placed on the man’s head. “Wait for the cops, wait for the cops,” another man implores. The suspect ends up with the milk crate on his head and the chair on his body.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that police are not sure of the motive, and added that police Superintendent Gavin Wood said police “were aware of reports the man had shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ but could not confirm if they were true.”
7News reported that element more bluntly, writing of the suspect, “He was also heard yelling ‘Allahu Akbar’ at an intersection as passersby tried to apprehend him.”
Andrew Denney, a reporter for 7 News Sydney, shared the incredible video on Twitter, writing, “Just witnessed incredible bravery from members of the public and @FRNSW officers chasing down a man on a stabbing rampage in Sydney’s CBD. He is now under arrest.”
There were no fatalities during the rampage. “We will allege the offender has attempted to stab multiple people, luckily unsuccessfully,” Superintendent Gavin Wood said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. One woman was stabbed in the back but is expected to survive, he told the newspaper.
Here’s what you need to know:
Citizens Also Grabbed Poles & Bats From a Fire Truck
Some psycho just went around stabbing people in Sydney. Just your regular Tuesday.
According to 10 Daily, the suspect had perpetrated a “daylight stabbing” in Sydney before “ordinary citizens chased and restrained the man with chairs and a milk crate.”
One eyewitness told 10Daily that the brave citizens didn’t stop there, saying, “I ran outside and saw people grabbing poles and bats from a fire truck and started to chase [the man] up the street.”
The attack occurred shortly after 2 p.m. at the corner of King and Clarence street in Sydney’s CBD. Wood told the Morning Herald that “brave” citizens performed a citizen’s arrest.
“These people are heroes, and I want to acknowledge that,” he told the newspaper.
The Australian reported that the suspect ran through the streets with a knife before he was subdued.
“The male offender produced a knife and has stabbed a member of the public, and subsequently there were a number of attempted stabbings,” police told The Australian.
Paul O’Shaughnessy and his brother Luke, from Manchester, were among the heroes who restrained the man, according to the Guardian, which reported that he shouted “extremist slogans.”
Police have praised the group of “heroes” who used chairs, a milk crate and an axe to chase and subdue the Sydney knifeman. t.co/gEEFbtq5Il
“These members of the public, going about their day-to-day business, have jumped into a situation which was extremely dangerous and hostile and they have brought a person, who we will be alleging has stabbed an innocent person for no specific reason, into custody and allowed us to do our job,” Wood also said, according to The Guardian.
So insane! A random dude just started stabbing people in the city right outside where we were having lunch. I saw people running so I ran towards him with a few other guys.
He ran all the way back to near my work where a lot of others had cornered him for the police! #sydney
“So insane! A random dude just started stabbing people in the city right outside where we were having lunch. I saw people running so I ran towards him with a few other guys,” a man wrote on Twitter.
“He ran all the way back to near my work where a lot of others had cornered him for the police!”