A man who survived a knife attack on a train to London described the moment he came face-to-face with the alleged attacker.
On Saturday, (November 1), 11 people on a London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train bound for London from Doncaster were left injured when a man attacked them with a knife.
Police were called when the train driver made an emergency call to law enforcement after learning of the stabbings, which reportedly occurred when the train left Peterborough.
After making an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, police apprehended the suspect, taking him down with a taser, and arrested him along with another man, who was later released after it was confirmed he had nothing to do with the attack.
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The 11 victims were all taken to the hospital with varying degrees of severity, with one person, who was revealed to be a train staff worker, said to be in 'critical but stable condition'.
Five victims have since been discharged from the hospital, the BBC reports.
32-year-old Anthony Williams has since been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm, and one count of possession of a bladed article.
A few witnesses have described what took place on board the train, with one survivor revealing what the suspect said to her as she begged for her life.
Another passenger, Stephen Crean, has since come forward to describe his experience. He was returning home from watching his soccer team, Nottingham Forest, draw 2-2 with Manchester United, when a woman ran through his carriage shouting about a ‘knife, knife’.
The 61-year-old told The Times that he initially let other passengers escape first before he faced the attacker, totally defenceless against his large knife.
Crean said the only thing he was thinking was ‘I’ve got to try and get him’, as he continued: “A few people ran past me, I let them go and then I went to go. We got to the buffet bar but I hear the people in there struggling to get in. There was no room for me.”
He explained how Williams had allegedly been waving his knife when he jumped in to restrain him, as the suspect asked three times: “Do you want to die?”
It was at this point that Crean was stabbed and narrowly missed a catastrophic outcome after a serious blow to his head. He then managed to retreat to one of the train's toilets after the confrontation.
He was injured in the attack as he 'got caught' by the knife on his fingers, head, arms, and torso, and was stabbed six times. His left hand will require plastic surgery, ITV reports.
Talking about his decision to fight back, he said: "Probably not many people would've done it, but then you're leaving people behind you vulnerable."
An investigation into the attack is currently ongoing, as BTP Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said on Sunday (November 2) that they 'are confident we are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident'.
He added: "As would be expected, specialist detectives are looking into the background of the suspect we have in custody and the events that led up to the attack."
Williams is due to appear in Cambridge Crown Court on December 1.
Britt Jones