LONDON — In the midst of the gruesome and senseless attacks on Londoners over the weekend, a number of heroes stepped up and likely prevented more killings.
Journalist and martial artist Geoff Ho says he saw two men attacking a bouncer outside a bar, and immediately raced in to help. Moments later, he was stabbed in the throat. Reports indicate he is recovering in the hospital, but is unable to speak for now.
Cab driver Aksha Patel says he picked a woman up who’d told him the story of how she realized the knife-wielding men were about the make their way into the restaurant she was at, and rather than run, she did everything she could to hold the door shut. The cabbie says the men eventually overpowered her, but she managed to escape through a back entrance. He believes she may have saved about 20 lives.
An unnamed off-duty officer of the British Transport Police, armed with only his baton, reportedly rugby-tackled one of the terrorists to the ground. He sustained knife injuries but is also recovering.
While several heroic efforts are now coming to light, a man photographed holding a glass of beer and running alongside a crowd of terrified people is also getting credit online for what appears to be his version of not letting the terrorists win. The photo was racked up more than 105,000 likes and 34,000 retweets on Twitter, and is being praised as capturing the true spirit of London in a time of chaos.
