We also have to keep in mind that not even body cam’s can give us the same 230-270 degree perspective of the person in the middle of the situation.
Your perspective as a participant will always be limited and slightly different from that of anyone else involved or from the available video evidence.
In the situation shown numerous people would have been killed and/or slashed long before police could arrive.
The national average for an emergency code is around 4.5 minutes, five people were slashed and stabbed in about ten seconds in that case.
Intervening in a third party situation always poses a high level of risk and liability on the defender but sometimes it’s absolutely necessary.
Nobody is required to assume those risks and liability which is why we consider those who do to be heroes because they are putting themselves at great risk for others with no expectation or even thought of reward.
In a case like this the duty to retreat would I think be waived since the person in danger you are protecting cannot retreat.
Think I have seen that kind of question on a police exam. And if I remember right do nothing and be the best witness you can is the ans.
One thing Ive learned from the lawyers and the training is that each scenario is different. In this one, we have not ascertained if I have a firearm on me. We did not ascertain if the store I am in had a no firearm sign.
Those two facts can change drastically what our response would be.
In USCCA training they use the shark tank to discuss what is worth using your firearm over. Im not sure Id jump in a shark tank over someone I don’t know. My wife or daughter, yes, but a stranger, not so sure.
A police exam for becoming a police officer, @John28? A police officer and a civilian would definitely see the situation differently and have different options for their response.
You’re so right @Jacob2! Every situation is different. I love that you’re applying the shark tank test in your mental training! Mental training is so important!
That’s the thing about polls, they only cover what the polling party want the results to show and there is no option for additional information like you said, Robert5. Hide first to get a better vantage point to engage would have been an ideal option to select on this poll.
You don’t really have to worry about the 21’ rule when the bad guy is holding a hostage.
If this is just some nut acting crazy waving a knife around you would but no one is going to make that rush on you before you can draw while holding a hostage.
That’s my thoughts. In this scenario, I would probably get within 15 feet. Any closer, and I believe, I would be in danger. Even with a gun in hand, and aimed, the attacker could get to you, unless you shut down the central nervous system completely. (Head shot)
This is one of those rare situations where I’d say the head shot is the only logical choice and I’d get as close as I felt necessary to guarantee a one shot instantly disabling shot.
Very true. But someone taking the exam is a civilian.
Isn’t this more of a human question than a armed citizen question? I pray my courage wouldn’t fail me to get in that shark tank, armed or not.
Hmmm… why would a civilian take a police exam unless they’re becoming a police officer, @John28? Unless there’s something I’m missing, which there very well could be. 
Yup - the answers to this one are pretty limited. We kept it the same as the Live Training Broadcast verbiage for a reason 
Watch for a bigger variety of responses to polls in the future. 
How about changing the narrative to Avoid, Deny, Defend?
Well there’s no opportunity in this case to deny them access or opportunity, and the lady had no opportunity to avoid it nor did the potential defenders so it boils down to would you engage in this scenario or not.
I answered before watching the Video. After watching the Video and seeing someone fleeing the building even if it was to call 911 I was conflicted. What about the person being attacked with a knife? A fast response time for a 911 call would be five to ten minutes. Do I abandon a fellow human to their fate for five to ten minutes, maybe more?
Yes I have to be concerned about my legal position but I guess I have spent too much time with first responders.
I am not sure there is a correct answer. The video was the reverse of what I was shown in my firearms class. They had a similar situation where a man pulls a large knife on a woman at the register in a hardware store.
The third man in line has a concealed weapon and when the attention was elsewhere he disarmed the suspect using the concealed weapon.
This isn’t to disagree with the video it is just how it made me stop and think.
All I was say is that on the exam it has a question like that and I heard the ans was be the best witness you can be. So I guess it’s up to the individual that is there at the time .
There is no one right answer but several of them.
If you’re not confident in that situation you can help you probably ought to stay out of it.
If you’re a woman with young kids, particularly young kids accompanying you, you probably ought to stay out of it unless you’re confident you can intervene without putting them or yourself in any danger.
If you’re a young father with kids you ought to consider the potential outcomes for them if you get involved.
Morally, I just couldn’t stand by and watch a woman get stabbed or slashed if I thought there was anything I could do to stop it.
The value in these discussions is that everyone gets the mental exercise of, “What would I do in a similar situation”, and gets the mental training to make a sound decision.