A London Ambulance Service worker described the moment he risked his life to rescue two women from a man wielding "the biggest kitchen knife I’ve ever seen".
Luke Rapela, who works on Non-Emergency Transport Services (NETS) ambulances, was driving through Battersea when a terrified woman ran out of a house and into the road, screaming and visibly distressed.
When he stopped to help, a man approached him with a 50cm-long kitchen knife and shouted threats.
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Mr Rapela said: "He was shouting that he was going to kill me. I called for police on my radio and told him to stay back. He then turned and kicked the door of the house open."
The woman warned that her daughter was still inside the house, prompting Mr Rapela to follow the attacker back inside. Once inside, the man continued to threaten him and attempted to stab him.
Drawing on his previous experience in security, Mr Rapela focused on calming the man down.
He said: "In that moment I just focused on trying to keep him talking and calm. I told him my name, he told me his, I was trying to build a rapport."
His approach helped to de-escalate the situation and the man eventually dropped the knife.
Police arrived shortly afterward and arrested the suspect.
Mr Rapela has now received a Chief Executive’s commendation from the London Ambulance Service.
Jason Killens KAM, chief executive of the London Ambulance Service, said: "Luke’s actions were exceptionally brave and he showed remarkable presence of mind in an extremely dangerous situation.
"While we would never expect our people to place themselves in harm’s way, we are incredibly proud of him for his commitment and courage."
Mr Rapela joined the London Ambulance Service just one year ago and hopes to become a paramedic through the organisation’s apprenticeship programme.
