A dad has recalled the terrifying moment he was waiting to pick up his daughter at Huntingdon railway station when a man brandishing a blade attempted to get into his car
A heroic dad used his car to ram a knifeman accused of stabbing multiple people on a train moments before police swooped in to arrest him.
Dave Scott, 57, was waiting to pick up his daughter at Huntingdon railway station when a man brandishing a blade attempted to get into his car. Mr Scott, from St Ives in Cambridgeshire, told the BBC he spotted a knifeman “heading straight for me” and “tried the door” of his vehicle.
When the attacker began “chopping down” on his BMW, he drove off but spun around “to hit him again if he was up or not. At that point the police just appeared from everywhere.”
He told the BBC he was just yards away when police made the arrest, and he left his car in position lighting up the area so officers could see. Mr Scott’s car could still be seen inside the police cordon after the incident.
Multiple other witnesses have spoken about their own experience during the incident, with Nottingham Forest fan Stephen Crean, another passenger who has been described as a “hero”, speaking of the moment he confronted the attacker. He told the BBC: “I saw him coming towards me – a guy with a rucksack and he’s obviously got something in there.
“Everyone’s gone towards the buffet, and that is on the verge of being full up. There’s no-one else getting in there. I wasn’t even going to bother pushing to get in.
“There’s young women and they need to get them in. I confronted this guy, because I’ve got to make sure that the door’s locked and I’ve looked around to save a bit of time.”
Amira Ostalski was also on the train at the time of the stabbings. Speaking to Sky News Ms Ostalski said: “”Everyone was shocked, everyone was terrified. People wanted to know what was going on, everyone’s pushing and shoving. Everyone’s getting trampled.”
Ms Ostalski said she ran into the buffet car where she picked up a metal tray in a desperate bid to protect herself and her friend form the knifeman. She said: “”I was honestly so petrified. I thought in that moment it was the last time I was ever going to be alive. I thought I was going to die.”
Factory worker Stephen Crean, 61, was travelling home after his team Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw with Man United when passengers ran screaming past him. He suffered six stab wounds after he helped others to safety before confronting the attacker.
Speaking after the attack, Stephen, who suffered injuries to his back, head and left hand, said: “I go through to the carriage and he sort of comes towards me – but I made sure other people got past me.
“I snuck the last couple of girls into the bathroom… then I turned around and there he was. He said, ‘You’re going to die. Do you want to die?’. I don’t even know how I felt, it was all too quick, because all of a sudden he was pulling this big knife out.”
Suspect Anthony Williams, 32, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with 10 counts of attempted murder over the train incident, and has been remanded in custody until he appears in court again on December 1. He has also been accused of carrying out a knife attack earlier on November 1 on another train in east London.
Camridgeshire Police said said the service is reviewing other knife-related incidents for possible links to Williams, with the British Transport Police (BTP) taking primacy on the investigation.
