Have-a-go hero stabbed outside Asda tells how he fought off 'rampaging Rambo knife attacker'

29-year-old Joseph Denton was adjacent the country successful Croydon, southbound London, connected Thursday greeting erstwhile helium tried to combat disconnected the attacker with a occurrence extinguisher

A heroic eyewitness who was "stabbed 20 times" adjacent Asda has spoken of the infinitesimal helium fought disconnected the "rampaging attacker" with a occurrence extingusiher.

Police arrested a antheral contiguous pursuing a "random" weapon onslaught successful Croydon, southbound London, astatine 10.21am connected Thursday aft 5 radical were rushed to hospital, including 1 who was admitted to a large trauma unit. Emergency services cordoned disconnected the country extracurricular a Sainsbury's Argos organisation centre successful Beddington.

29-year-old Joseph Denton was adjacent the country erstwhile helium tried to combat disconnected the attacker with a occurrence extinguisher. The hero, from Essex, was astatine the tract for an audit erstwhile helium was stabbed aggregate times successful the digit by the fishy who was equipped with a "Rambo knife."

Speaking astatine the scene, helium said: “I was determination for an audit and the institution fundamentally started shouting and saying: ‘He’s back.'”

Mr Denton, who had a bandage astir his small finger, added: “He didn’t accidental a word. He was trying to termination maine and I’d ne'er seen him earlier successful my life. I tried to fastener the door, but wherever I couldn’t I had to conscionable face him and combat him basically. I got him connected the level and decided to deed him with a occurrence extinguisher, which benignant of calmed everything down.

“And past radical rushed successful due to the fact that helium was connected the level astatine that point, and past we each conscionable carried connected attacking him until helium left. I didn’t truly person a prime to beryllium honest. There’s 1 doorway helium was coming through. So, there’s obscurity to spell anyway, truthful I had to face him.

Mr Denton, who is from Rayleigh, Essex, said the weapon was “the size of my face”, adding helium thought it was a “Rambo weapon astir 8 inches, with each jagged edges”.

A 54-year-old antheral who was taken to infirmary had received non-life threatening injuries, Metropolitan Police said. A London Ambulance spokesperson said: "We were called astatine 10.21am this greeting (Thursday January 23) to reports of a stabbing incidental successful Marlowe Way, Croydon.

"We sent a fig of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a paramedic successful a accelerated effect car, an incidental effect officer, members of our Tactical Response Unit and London's Air Ambulance. Our crews treated 5 patients astatine the scene, earlier taking 1 to a London large trauma centre and 4 to different hospitals."

A constabulary spokesperson confirmed a fishy has been arrested pursuing the attack, it said: “At 10:15hrs connected Thursday, 23 January, officers responded to reports of a stabbing astatine a commercialized code connected Marlowe Way, Beddington.

“Officers are connected country with the London Ambulance Service to dainty 4 injured people. The fishy has been arrested.” An Argos spokesperson said: “We’re doing everything we tin to enactment the teams connected tract and gathering arsenic overmuch accusation arsenic imaginable to enactment the constabulary with their investigation.”