Knifeman Downs Officer Armed with AK, Three Police Armed with Pistols, in 28 Seconds(video)

Gun Watch ^ | 18 July, 2015 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

AK rifleman being attacked

This video is from 2011 in Nicaragua.  It shows how dangerous a man with a knife, who is willing to use it, can be.    The knife is good sized, about an 8-10 inch blade.  The comments indicate the situation is domestic.  The knifeman's wife left him or divorced him for another, and he has not been able to accept it.

He does not wish to be bothered, and the News crews seem to exacerbate the situation.  The knife comes out at about 4:04, but the video is edited there.  The sound track is in Spanish.  Spanish speakers will get more details.



Link to video

The police dodge and run, and avoid injury, but they do nothing effective to stop him or contain him.   In about 10 seconds, an officer draws a weapon, likely a revolver, but does not shoot.  Reinforcements arrive.  I count at least five officers.   One officer has an AK variant.  The knifeman removes his backpack and crosses a wire fence.  He gets into a better defensive situation.  At one point he rubs his hands with dirt, probably to improve his grip.

Knifeman with knife in right hand

Four officers cross the wire fence, flank the knifeman and encircle him.  They appear to attempt to improvise non-lethal weapons.  One throws the AK rifleman a stick, across the fence.  He picks it up with his right hand, and holding the rifle in his left, crosses the wire fence and takes a couple of steps toward the knifeman.  This was a deadly mistake.

That may have been a predetermined "line in the sand" for the knifeman.  He attacks decisively and explosively.  The AK rifleman is the first to go down, stabbed at about 7:29.

 Officer with AK rifle on right, before the attack

In the next 29 seconds, at least three other officers are chased down and stabbed.   The first shot is fired at 7:43, 14 seconds after the first officer is attacked.  Three officers are down before the first shot is fired.  Another site reported that at least one more, besides the rifleman, dies.   I counted 9 shots fired.  I cannot determine how many hit the knifeman. 

All because they did not take a man and his knife seriously, and had not received the proper training.

The video is a real life example of the Tueller drill, and how fast a man with a contact weapon can close distance and deliver a mortal blow.  In the case of the AK rifleman, it appears to be less than a second and a half.  In four seconds two policemen are down; the third is down 13 seconds into the attack, the fourth by 28 seconds.  A retired law officer told me that he thought the knifeman wanted to commit suicide by cop, but the police would not accommodate him.

It could have been avoided if the officers had been trained in the dangers that edged weapons pose, and had been ready to use their weapons effectively.  They were not, and they paid a heavy price.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

[marktwain]

Bringing a knife to a gunfight can work, if the person with the gun does not take the threat seriously.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

They were not willing to kill him, that was the problem. The minute he started chasing someone with a knife, don’t back up, aim weapon and unload on him. Stupids.

[riverrunner]

Shows how effective an edge weapon can be. doesn’t seem the knife man was highly trained in knife use just determined.

Most likely he wanted to commit suicide by cop and they did not let him until he killed some of them.

[R. Scott]

None of the cops looked like they took it seriously, the one with the rifle appeared to be going for a butt stroke.

[vladimir998]

I feel sorry for the cops, but clearly they’re not well trained nor very smart. They fired how many shots and the perp IS STILL ALIVE?

[knarf]

I watched all the way through before reading the article posted ... so I came away with an impression based solely on what I saw and not knew ... for I speak no Spanish

It looked like some lady was offended somehow and called the media, who interviewed her for some time

I surmised the problem was with the guy behind the fence

After a long interview, the media wanted the guys response and he just wanted to be left alone

The media chased him down, the cops got involved and people died

I appreciate the self defense lesson .... but the story (IMO) is just like in America when a tragedy occurs, the stupid media sticks a mic in some grieving persons face and asks, "how do you feel ?"

The news/media guy caused the deaths

[knarf]

It looks like the cops really didn’t want a fight, but felt pressured because they knew LMNOP News was there filming

[Old Sarge]

Further proof that it’s not just the gun, it’s the resolve to USE it.

[Old Sarge]

but the story (IMO) is just like in America when a tragedy occurs, the stupid media sticks a mic in some grieving persons face and asks, "how do you feel ?"

[SWAMPSNIPER]

ping

[Above My Pay Grade]

Very true. But in America if the police shoot a man in the same situation there would be riots and they will be called “cold blooded murderers” by Lefists and by many FReepers. They will cry, “He only had a knife!”

It is similar to the situation where an “unarmed” suspect either charges at an armed officer or refuses to keep his hands up and keeps them in an area where he could reach for a concealed weapon if he has one.

[AppyPappy]

Why didn’t they do a back flip and kick the knife out of hand instead of shooting him?

Jackboots

[bravo whiskey]

Saw this in my level 1 tactical knife class. We were discussing the Tueller Drill and reaction time. BTW the FBI pushed the distance back from 7m to 10m. The whole discussion of reaction time explains a lot such as why you can watch yourself locking your keys in your car and understand how you couldn’t stop. Distance is your friend and always follow Gibbs’ rule #9.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Practice is vital in such situations. Even in karate schools, wooden or rubber knives and cap guns are common, because you have to learn the actual variables involved in their use. Knives and guns are not magical, and both have very strict rules for their proper and effective use.

Importantly, this matters both for the “defender” *and* the “attacker”, which like in this Nicaraguan case, are just labels. The knife man was the defender until he became the attacker.

Just a single hour of training with a friend teaches volumes, if you are both willing to play it straight. And even the imaginary bullets of a cap gun or the “slashes” and “pokes” of a piece of broomstick register in your brain as ‘hits’.

“If this had been an actual bullet or knife, I would be bleeding right now.”

[JimRed]

Nobody was smart enough to take a couple of steps back and shoot the b@$t@rd?

[deoetdoctrinae]

Gibbs (while handing his knife to Tony): "Rule number nine:"

Gibbs & Kate (in unison): "Never go anywhere without a knife."

[NorthMountain]

These make great "knife simulators".

[R. Scott]

And so many were running.