Category: Knife/Machete/Sword

Dutch security guard stops armed attack with strikes

At a supermarket in the Netherlands, a 34-year-old man was removed from the store by security for attempting to steal a bottle of alcohol. He returned and attacked guard with a broken bottle neck, resulting in injuries to both. The man was arrested and hospitalised overnight, so he obviously came out of the ordeal in far worse shape then the guard.

He faces charges of attempted manslaughter or serious assault and will appear in court on February 14 2024.

The actions of the guard were considered self-defense.

Dutch article covering the incident here.

Although not a knife, a piece of glass can cause serious or potentially fatal injuries. There’s certainly the risk of losing an eye, the way this man was attempting to slash at the guard.

The response of the guard demonstrates how effective distance management, footwork and striking can be against edged weapons. These are not the typical wrist-grabby techniques we often see taught by “self defense” instructors, but fundamental methods from empirically developed styles such as Muay Thai and wrestling.

This could easily have resulted in the guard suffering far more serious injuries had there been an inch or two of difference, and I have shared these scenarios on the site before.

My point here is NOT that learning a martial art will guarantee success, however:

  1. The chance of surviving an attack from someone armed with an edged weapon increases the greater the difference in skill/size/strength/etc.
  2. The methods we see working in reality are consistently the same fundamentals we observe in other fights, including combat sports.

Jewellery store robber stabbed by defender

An attempted robbery at a jewelry store in Chapadão do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The employees, including the owner’s daughter, fought back against the two armed robbers. One of the criminals was stabbed several times by the daughter during the struggle and was later hospitalized and arrested. The security camera footage played a crucial role in identifying the assailants, who along with an accomplice, faced charges for the armed robbery.

New York City fatal stabbing; victim displays agonal breathing

This man decides to stick around during a confrontation while a third party tries to separate them; when the distance is closed, he is stabbed by an unseen knife.

This is the reality of many knife attacks – if someone really wants to stab someone, it makes no sense to brandish the knife and make the victim aware it exists. If they have any common sense, they will simply draw the knife once the distance is closed.

In this case, a major blood vessel in the abdomen was struck, and the man lost consciousness a short time later. When police are seen arriving the victim displays agonal breathing, which is a sign he is very close to death.

Agonal respiration, gasping respiration or agonal breathing is a distinct abnormal pattern of breathing and brainstem reflex characterized by gasping, labored breathing, accompanied by strange vocalizations and myoclonus. Possible causes include cerebral ischemia, extreme hypoxia (inadequate oxygen supply to tissue), or even anoxia (total depletion of oxygen). Agonal breathing is an extremely serious medical sign requiring immediate medical attention, as the condition generally progresses to complete apnea and heralds death. The duration of agonal respiration can be as brief as two breaths or last up to several hours.

MMA fighter chokes out knife-wielding attacker after disarming him

SOURCE

CUTLER BAY, Fla. – A former professional mixed martial artist won the fight of his life outside the ring, and it was all caught on camera.

Javier Baez told Local 10 News Friday that he is grateful to see another day thanks to his combat training after a man attempted to stab him in Cutler Bay early Wednesday morning.

Baez said he was out late on Halloween night, getting back to his complex around 4 a.m. Wednesday, when he saw Omar Marrero, 50, of Cutler Bay, behind the 11,000 block of Southwest 211th Street, holding a knife that was about 14 inches long and yelling in the parking lot.

Marrero’s arrest report stated moments after seeing Baez in his vehicle, he began hitting his car window with the knife and then opened the driver’s door and attempted to cut him.

As Baez exited his vehicle and attempted to diffuse the situation, Marrero continued to swing the knife at him, the report stated.

Shortly after, Marrero went back to his vehicle while placing the knife on the front passenger side floor and began fighting Baez.

Police said moments after, Marrero went back to his car, grabbed a second large knife, and attempted to cut Baez several times.

Additional surveillance video showed Marrero rushing at Baez, who quickly overpowered him, lifted him, and then slammed him to the ground.

“You train so many times that it becomes just a reflex,” Baez said.

Baez was able to defend himself while disarming Marrero and detaining him until police arrived at the scene.

“Once I started putting the choke in, he kind of just let it go because no one is worried about anything else but breathing when you’re losing air,” he said. “I was able to hold him down with my knee and call the cops, and he woke up, cops came, and it was good, easy peasy!”

Baez told Local 10 News that he was unhurt and only sustained minor scratches to his hands following the scuffle.

“Once it came to that, it’s all instincts. I couldn’t do much but just react,” Baez told Local 10 News. “I’ve been training my whole life — black belt jiu-jitsu, wrestled in college, I’ve got eight pro fights, MMA masters. I’ve got great training partners.”

Baez said that he didn’t personally know Marrero but had seen him before walking around in his neighborhood.

Marrero was transported to the Cutler Bay Municipal District where he was interviewed and provided a statement to police.

He currently faces one count each of burglary with assault or battery and aggravated battery, according to jail records.

As of Friday, Marrero is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Russian prison guard stabbed, unable to draw gun as man closes distance

A Russian prisoner stabs and murders an armed prison guard, who is unable to draw his weapon during the ambush. The prisoner then gets into a gunfight with another guard and continues to escape. The prisoner was reportedly stopped and killed some time later.

This is a good demonstration of how effective a knife can be at close range versus a gun – i.e. 21-foot rule / Tueller Drill.

Teacher stabbed by terrorist in France

This teacher used a chair as a shield and to make space between himself and the attacker, however there is no one taking the next essential step in the video – incapacitating the attacker. Hit him with the chair, hit him with something, stop his capacity to attack.

You have to go on the offensive. It’s great if you can stop the first first few stab attempts, but what then? Are you just going to wait until he’s gets bored?

Everything else has failed; end their attack by going on the offensive.

Story Summary:

On October 13, 2023, at around 11:00 local time, a fatal knife attack occurred at Gambetta high school in Arras, France. The attacker, a 20-year-old Russian national of Chechen origin named Mohamed Mogouchkov, was a former student of the school. He killed a French language teacher and seriously injured another teacher and a security guard. Witnesses reported that he shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack. President Emmanuel Macron, who visited the site, praised the slain teacher for coming forward to protect others, stating that he had “without doubt saved many lives.” The attacker was known to security services for his involvement with Islamist extremism and had previously alarmed teachers with his views. He was arrested and is now in custody. The French anti-terror prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation for “murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise.”

Sources: BBC, Reuters

Man stabbed in Vancouver Starbucks – The killing of Paul Schmidt

An extremely sad, completely unnecessary and disgusting incident.

Wikipedia:

At around 5:30 PM, Paul Schmidt accompanied his fiancée Ashley Umali and their daughter to a Starbucks coffee shop located at the corner of West Pender Street and Granville Street in Downtown Vancouver. Umali went inside to order while Schmidt, and their daughter in a stroller, waited outside. While outside, Schmidt spoke with Gosal for using an electronic cigarette and requested him not to vape around his daughter. An argument began and an altercation ensued at which point Gosal produced a knife, using it to stab Schmidt in the abdomen multiple times. A pedestrian, Alex Bodger, began filming the incident as Gosal yelled “fucking bitch” to Schmidt as he staggered and fell to the ground bleeding. Bodger continued filming Schmidt, posing for TikTok and exclaiming “this motherfucker just died, bro.” Gosal also began filming Schmidt on the ground from inside the Starbucks. Other bystanders flagged down a constable patrolling the area and police responded to the scene around 5:40 P.M. Officers attempted medical assistance on Schmidt, but he was declared dead after being rushed to the hospital. Gosal was arrested without resistance.