There is a common misconception that a suspect will brandish a knife or other edged weapon prior to attacking an officer. If that were the case, our job would be a whole lot easier. Unfortunately, a suspect is more likely to attack by surprise, possibly from behind the officer where the fact that he's armed, even his mere presence, remain a deadly secret.
Many agencies don't provide their officers with adequate training in edged weapon defense. Some training programs don't even address the possibility of being attacked from behind. If a defensive tactics curriculum covers only telegraphed edged weapon attacks, officers could be in for a rude awakening when faced with a surprise attack on the street.
Whether the suspect's intent is to take you hostage or stab you, you need to respond immediately and aggressively to better your position and ultimately stop the threat.
Knife to throat response
If a suspect grabs you from behind and places a blade against your throat without immediately cutting you he is obviously hesitant. His intent may be to take you hostage to facilitate his escape. That doesn't mean the suspect won't try to kill you. However, if you are well prepared and fully committed, you will have an opportunity to capitalize on the suspect's hesitation.
The first step is to start a dialogue with the suspect. If possible, get the suspect to talk. Keep in mind it's difficult to talk and fight at the same time. If he's talking, there will be a slight delay in his reaction to your initial move. By placing himself in a reactionary mode, the suspect has given you the head start necessary to defeat him. The fact that a knife is to your throat doesn't change the fact that action beats reaction.
While talking to the suspect, place your hands as close to the weapon as possible. Although this may appear to the suspect to be a submissive act, it places your hands close to the weapon, eliminating any wasted motion and speeding up your response.
When the suspect appears distracted, simultaneously touch your chin to your chest to protect your neck from being cut, widen your stance to lower your center of gravity, and grab the suspect's knife-bearing arm with both hands, pinning it to your chest.
From this position, the knife is of little use to the suspect, since you have stabilized it through superior leverage. Now, bend sharply at the waist to create a gap between your back and the suspect's chest. While maintaining your grip on the suspect’s arm, turn into him and step behind yourself. Snake your head under his arm and continue rotating your body while maintaining your grip on the arm. This should cause the suspect to drop the knife and possibly break his arm in the process.
As an alternative, after pinning the knife-bearing arm to your chest, you could draw your firearm to a close quarter hold and rotate at the waist until the muzzle is oriented to the suspect.
Multiple stab response
In this scenario, we are assuming the suspect is fully committed to stabbing you multiple times. Since approximately 90 percent of the population is right handed, we'll focus on a response to a right handed attack.
Your first inclination of a problem may be after you've been stabbed the first time. Remember being stabbed doesn't mean you're going to die. It just means that its time to attack the SOB who stabbed you!
Immediately shrug your shoulders, tuck your chin, and turn in the direction of the attack. At first, this might seem like a bad idea but orienting yourself to the threat is a must. You have to be able to see what's happening and more importantly, you need to be poised to launch an overwhelming attack on the suspect. If your response is purely defensive, there is no motivation for the suspect to stop his attack. In that sense, your fate is in the suspect's hands, which are probably dripping with your blood.
As you turn to face the suspect, keep your left hand up to protect your face (in case the next stab is directed toward your face or neck) while swinging your right arm downward at an approximate 45-degree angle. This tends to result in your arm intercepting the knife-bearing arm even if it's being retracted in preparation of another stab, which is very likely.
Continue turning into the suspect and step toward him with your left leg. At this point, you should be facing the suspect's right side. Drive forward, using the palms of first your left then your right hand to strike the side of the suspect's face.
Since the suspect is being forced off balance laterally, there is a good chance he will fall. In any case, being hit repeatedly on the side of the head while doing the crab-walk should be enough to transform the suspect from attacker to defender. While the suspect is trying to regain his balance, create distance and draw your firearm.
Conclusion
Hopefully, tactical awareness combined with a little bit of luck will keep you from ever being ambushed by a knife-wielding suspect. However, training for worst case scenario will prepare you to handle just about anything.
Of course there's more to being prepared than reading a column and studying the photographs. Find a partner, an inert training knife, eye protection and other protective gear as required for your particular training evolution and try these techniques for yourself.
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.
Always have a plan B and never give up!
