Rather than reaching for the knife when it is drawn as many people tend to do, this security guard punches the man, and as they go to the ground he and controls the hand holding the knife. He extends the hand away from the body which prevents the man from reaching for it with the other hand. Bystanders step in and assist. Excellent instincts.
Soldiers ambushed while on foot patrol with devastating results
On foot, walking down an open road with no cover, no concealment, in a tight group, surrounded by terrain which could easily conceal enemy from any direction. This is how you march on parade, not move through an active warzone.
Man draws gun on robber at close range, both grapple for control of the weapon
Holding a gun to someone at close range means things can get very complicated very quickly. Within arm’s reach usually isn’t a good range.
Man is stabbed in stomach, knocks out attacker
Knives do not immediately incapacitate – often, a person who has been stabbed is able to continue fighting for long enough to successfully retaliate, even if they die soon after. This makes knives both a poor choice for self defence, and a good choice for murder. A horrific way to fight since ancient times.
An important point to learn from this video: striking is an effective response to a knife attack, assuming that you are a capable striker. Many people tend to focus on the knife and fight to control it, not realising that this is as good a time as any to punch the face.
Teen boys fight, resulting in knockout and seizure.
A brutal outcome as the victor continues to assault the other boy who is having a seizure as a result of serious brain injury. No regard for the potentially fatal outcome.
Belligerent man pushes woman, is stomped by 3 men
Belligerent man attempts to intimidate couple, pushing a female in the process. He seems to regret this a split second later as he reaches to hold and prevent her from falling.
Unfortunately he has already failed miserably to take stock of the situation he is in – alone, drunk, surrounded by bystanders who may not tolerate his behaviour.
Covert police ram robber to make arrest
TASER succeeds where armbar takedown fails during this arrest
Police officer attempts to take down resisting suspect with armbar, a technique commonly taught to police in many countries. This results in the officer failing to control the body of the suspect, and falling beneath him into a dangerous position. Luckily his colleague was competent and timely with the TASER.
Man overdoses and is revived by firefighter, kills the firefighter, uses female bystander as shield, is shot by police
A strong case for handcuffing and searching people who have overdosed before reviving them. Background info:
When the bus arrived at transit center, a bus passenger believed Houston was having a seizure and called 911 for help. Lundgaard arrived with other firefighters and began providing aid to Houston.
Houston regained consciousness after responders determined he likely had suffered a drug overdose and gave him two doses of Narcan.
Houston told responders he had taken some of his wife’s morphine. Houston got off the bus on his own, even as responders were encouraging him to seek additional medical care, but he refused.
“They wanted to make sure he got that help,” Tempelis said.
Houston drew a small handgun from a small case at his waist, Tempelis said. He stood back and fired twice, hitting Lundgaard in the upper back and Christensen in the upper leg.
Almost simultaneously, Christensen drew his handgun and fired once, striking Houston in the abdomen. Houston ran toward where bystander Brittany Schowalter was and used her as a shield, the district attorney said.
Christensen and Biese both fired multiple times at Houston, also likely striking Schowalter, although Tempelis said it’s impossible to know for sure who shot her. She suffered an injury to her leg and to her head, with a bullet grazing her skull, Tempelis said.
Houston eventually went to the ground, which allowed officers equipped with a ballistic shield to arrest him. The officers found Houston’s gun under him, Tempelis said.
How the knife can win vs the gun at close range. The 21 foot rule, also known as the Tueller Drill.
This video demonstrates some of the lesser-known mechanics of close-range combat between knife and gun.
The Tueller Drill is a self-defense training exercise to prepare against a short-range knife attack when armed only with a holstered handgun.
Sergeant Dennis Tueller of the Salt Lake City Police Department wondered how quickly an attacker with a knife could cover 21 feet (6.4 m), so he timed volunteers as they raced to stab the target. He determined that it could be done in 1.5 seconds. These results were first published as an article in SWAT magazine in 1983 and in a police training video by the same title, “How Close Is Too Close?”[1][2]
A defender with a gun has a dilemma. If he shoots too early, he risks being accused of murder. If he waits until the attacker is definitely within striking range so there is no question about motives, he risks injury and even death. The Tueller experiments quantified a “danger zone” where an attacker presented a clear threat.[3]
The Tueller Drill combines both parts of the original time trials by Tueller. There are several ways it can be conducted:[4]
- The (simulated) attacker and shooter are positioned back-to-back. At the signal, the “attacker” sprints away from the shooter, and the shooter unholsters his gun and shoots at the target 21 feet (6.4 m) in front of him. The attacker stops as soon as the shot is fired. The shooter is successful only if his shot is good and if the runner did not cover 21 feet (6.4 m).
- A more stressful arrangement is to have the attacker begin 21 feet (6.4 m) behind the shooter and run towards the shooter. The shooter is successful only if he was able take a good shot before he is tapped on the back by the attacker.
- If the shooter is armed with only a training replica gun, a full-contact drill may be done with the attacker running towards the shooter. In this variation, the shooter should practice side-stepping the attacker while he is drawing the gun.
MythBusters covered the drill in the 2012 episode “Duel Dilemmas”. At 20 ft (6.1 m), the gun-wielder was able to shoot the charging knife attacker just as he reached the shooter. At shorter distances the knife wielder was always able to stab prior to being shot.[5]