A martial arts expert bravely ran into the fray of last night’s London Bridge terror attack to break up what he thought was a bar fight.
The brave man, who has been identified as London-based journalist, Geoff Ho, was at the Southwark Tavern when three terrorists committed a cowardly atrocity, mowing down civilians in a white transit van and later attacking people on the street with knives.
Seeing the acts of violence, and assuming a lone bouncer was being attacked by drunken revellers, Ho rushed over to break up what he had mistaken for a fist fight.
What he unknowingly walked into was, instead, an unspeakable and random attack on innocent and unsuspecting civilians.
The brave man sent a status update moments before, which read:
Don’t know whether it was stupid or noble to jump in and break up the fight outside the Southwark Tavern, but two a*******s trying to do over the lone bouncer on the door isn’t happening on my watch.
Geoff, a business editor with the Sunday Express, sustained serious injuries as he tried to defend his fellow Londoners.
By-stander witness reports and video footage – which is too graphic to publish – shows Geoff being helped away from the scene by a police office, wearing no shirt and clutching his neck.
As his friends tweeted pleas for Geoff’s whereabouts in the chaotic aftermath of the attack, reports confirmed the hero had been taken from the scene in an ambulance and is currently receiving treatment in a London hospital. He is now sitting up but cannot speak, according to the Mirror.
This comes as many reports of London’s solidarity flood social media. between the locals offering refuge to those stranded, the cabbie who attempted to stop the terrorists and the man who fled the scene without spilling his £6 pint, it is clear London is devastated but not broken in the face of evil.
In the wake of the London Bridge terror attack, which took place at around 10pm last night, police have confirmed the terrorists injured 48 people and killed seven innocent victims.
One of those hurt is a British Transport police officer who was stabbed after rushing to the scene to help the wounded. His injuries are not life-threatening.
Three attackers, who were wearing hoax bomb vests, mounted the curb in a white transit van, mowing down at least 20 pedestrians.
They proceeded to get out of the vehicle and rampage through the streets towards Borough Market, brandishing long knives.
Civilians were taken to nearby Guy’s Hospital with stab wounds. The attackers entered pubs and restaurants in the area, where eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos.
Footage was shared to social media showing panic-stricken people hiding and seeking safety.
The three attackers were shot dead by police.
Their attack was brought to a swift end just eight minutes after the first emergency call was made at 10:08pm, The Met Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley confirmed in a statement.
More than 80 medics were sent to the areas of London Bridge, and adjacent Borough Market. The injured, some of them critical, are being treated in five London hospitals.
Londoners were quick to rally together and offer shelter – and a warm cup of tea – to those stranded in the area, after Transport for London closed London Bridge and neighbouring Southwark stations, along with further closures of Borough High Street and Lower Thames Street.
One cabbie, who chose to remain unidentified, even tried to mow down the attackers.
A third incident took place in Vauxhall last night, but has since been confirmed as an unrelated stabbing.
The Met Police have set up a casualty bureau on 0800 096 1233 and 020 7158 0197 for people concerned about friends or relatives
Police are asking anyone with footage of photographs of the attack to share them with authorities via the UK Police Image Appeal.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.