"First Responder" Citizen Ends Deadly Assault

By JASON HOWERTON

There was blood “everywhere” in the hallway of an apartment building in Oswego, Illinois, as a man allegedly attacked a victim with a knife on Monday.

Dave Thomas witnessed the attack unfolding and knew he had to do something.

“I poked my head out the door. There was a pool of blood, blood was everywhere in the hall. There was still a confrontation going on, there were about three or four people involved at this point,” he recalled to WGN 9.

Thomas said he ran back to his home and grabbed his AR-15 rifle. Moments later, he was ordering the knife-wielding attacker to stop.
And he did.

“I grabbed the AR-15 over my handgun — bigger gun, I think a little more of an intimidation factor. Definitely played a part in him actually stopping,” Thomas added.

The suspect fled the scene but was eventually apprehended and arrested. The stabbing victim was reportedly taken to a hospital.

Thomas, a law-abiding gun owner with a concealed carry permit, said after the incident that the AR-15 is his “weapon of choice for home protection.”

“It's light, it's maneuverable. If you train and know how to use it properly, it's not dangerous,” he continued. "And this is just a perfect example of good guy with an AR-15 stopped a bad guy with a knife. And there were no lives taken, so, all in all, it was a good day.”

The incident comes amid a fiery debate over semi-automatic rifles in the wake of the Parkland high school shooting that left 17 people dead. Gun control advocates are currently making a strong push to ban rifles like the AR-15.