Weird News: Police Officers Aided by Mystery Man Wielding Samurai Sword

Tyneside Cops Surprised by Sword-bearing Bystander Who Helped Stop Robbery, Save Officer

By Wanda Leibowitz, published Jan 11, 2007
Published Content: 365  Total Views: 1,134,115  Favorited By: 60 CPs
Rating: 4.5 of 5
A mystery man wielding a samurai sword came to the aid of two detectives last night, as the police officers faced off with a gang of thieves attempting to commit a robbery. The outnumbered, unarmed detectives were in the midst of a violent confrontation with the robbers when a mystery man came to their rescue, brandishing a 3-foot samurai sword.

The scene took place in the Laygate neighborhood of South Shields, a town in the Tyneside region of England.

The two police officers had apprehended the criminals as they were about to break in to a house, and were engaged in hand to hand combat with the gang, who wielded chains and hammers. One of the thieves suddenly pulled a knife on the police officers, apparently intending to further escalate the violence. It was at this point that the mystery man suddenly appeared.

The anonymous man ran forward, wielding a samurai sword and shouting "Leave him alone, he's a police officer!" The mystery man then charged at the criminals, slashing his samurai sword wildly back and forth, and wounding at least one of the robbers.

The surprised and disoriented gang of robbers panicked and began to disperse. The police officers were able to arrest three thieves amidst the chaos, including one whom the mystery man had trivially wounded on the arm during the samurai sword attack. The mystery man and his samurai sword disappeared as soon as the gang started to break up.

The police officers gave this description of the mystery man: Caucasian, mustachioed, in his 40s, of medium build, and height approximately 5' 10". No information, such as suspected origin or place of purchase, has been released about the samurai sword.

Although the mystery man was helping the police, local Detective Inspector Peter Bent, of South Sheilds CID, said that he did not condone the actions of the mystery man. Brent said "There is no doubt this person assisted the police," but added that "It needs to be said we cannot condone vigilantism or people running around with swords or weapons. It will be up to the Crown Prosecution Service whether they see his actions as justified or going beyond reasonable force."

Weird News: Police Officers Aided by Mystery Man Wielding Samurai Sword

The mystery man brandished an unsheathed samurai-type sword that was roughly 3ft in length.

Credit: stock.xchng

Copyright: sxc.hu

Takeaways
  • As he charged at the criminals, the mystery man shouted "Leave him alone, he's a police officer!"
  • The mystery man was described as caucasian, in his 40s, of medium build, about 5'0" tall, and wearing a mustache.
  • Although police acknowledged that the man aided officers, they also stated that they cannot condone "vigilantism, or people running around with swords or weapons."
Did You Know?
Many residents of Tyneside have a distinctive regional accent known as a "Geordi" accent.
Comments
Showing Comments 1 - 6 of 6
 
 
i wonder if this guy was dressed like a ninja?

Posted on 04/13/2008 at 3:04:47 PM

 
Whoever this man is, he's a hero.

Posted on 06/14/2007 at 9:06:00 AM

 
Shields isn't the safest place to be a police officer, and I expect they won't worry too much about finding the swordsman on charges of use of excessive force - if he turned himself in, they'd probably just ask him not to hurt anyone in future please thank you. Oh, and from the 'Did you know' section, that would be a 'Geordie' accent. Ta.

Posted on 04/16/2007 at 4:04:00 AM

 
Yes, that is true. Of course, not many officers or detectives in the States go into the field unarmed either. If it had been me, I would have considered the "mystery man" to be a blessing.

Posted on 02/15/2007 at 11:02:00 PM

 
shot? for helping the police? or for what?

Posted on 02/01/2007 at 3:02:00 PM

 
wow, anyone that did that in the United States would have been shot.

Posted on 01/11/2007 at 10:01:00 AM

Type in Your Comments Below - (1000 characters left)
Your name:

Submit your own content on this or any topic. Get started »
Showing Comments 1 - 6 of 6
 
Most Commented On