Knife attacker held after struggle

The armed man was chased into Guildhall Square

A Londonderry taxi driver has described how he helped a teenager to overpower a hijacker during an attack in the city.

Tony Nash was sitting in his taxi in Foyle Street on Monday when he saw a man threaten a woman with a knife as he ordered her out of her car.

The man then stabbed the woman and the teenager who had come to the woman's aid.

The taxi driver followed the man, who was being chased by the 16-year-old youth, and held the attacker until the police arrived.

Both the teenager and the woman were taken to the city's Altnagelvin Hospital where they were discharged after treatment.

A lot of taxi drivers were sitting there and they came and gave me a hand to hold him down

Tony Nash
Taxi driver

Mr Nash said: "I had seen a struggle and I stopped the car and got out.

"The man got out of the car and ran and the girl fell on the ground, she was hysterical.

"I asked the fare in the car to get out and I ended up in the Guildhall Square when I saw him.

"I got out of the car and came more or less level with him, so I sort of ran and jumped on his back.

"A lot of taxi drivers were sitting there and they came and gave me a hand to hold him down."

Tony Nash: Helped to restrain the attacker

The teenage boy was getting off a bus in the city on Monday when he saw the woman being attacked.

The 42-year-old woman was sitting in a parked car when the man, armed with a knife, approached and threatened her.

He ordered her to get out of the car and as she tried to do so, he grabbed her by the shoulder and stabbed her in the left arm.

The teenager went to the woman's aid and then chased the attacker, catching up with him near the Metro Bar in Bank Place.

During a struggle, he was stabbed in the right thigh.

The attacker ran off and was again chased by the youth.