Stanhope Road incident: Police praise bystanders who tackled alleged knife-wielding driver in South Shields

Shortly after 6.30pm yesterday, Wednesday, September 29, officers received a report of a collision on Stanhope Road at the junction with Temple Park Road in South Shields.

It was reported that a driver of a car had first collided with a cyclist before crashing into another vehicle and a telegraph pole at a roundabout.

Nobody was seriously injured, but immediately after the collision it was reported the male driver was in possession of a knife and had begun to threaten other motorists and members of the public.

Several people then stepped in and they were able to restrain the man until officers from Northumbria Police arrived.

Today, Chief Inspector Nicola Wearing heaped praise on the brave bystanders for their quick-thinking actions and said they had prevented potentially serious consequences.

“This could easily have been a different outcome if it wasn’t for the outstanding intervention from members of the public,” she said.

"They saw the man was clearly in a state of distress and thought to be in possession of a knife – and took decisive action.

“Our region is famed for its community spirit and togetherness, and this incident reinforces that. Everyone involved should be incredibly proud of themselves.

“We would always discourage the public from risking their own safety but it’s important to recognise examples of bravery such as this.

"I would like to personally thank all those involved who helped ensure this was brought to a swift and safe conclusion.

“The quick reporting allowed us to deploy officers to the scene within minutes, and we then placed a suspect under arrest. He will now be interviewed in connection with the offences.”

The 39-year-old suspect has been taken to hospital as a precaution before he will be brought into custody as enquiries into the incident continue.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information can contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of the force website or by calling 101 quoting NP-20210929-0756.

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