Bystander Arrested After Pipe Strike Ends Knife Threat in China

In an Active Self Protection video, host John Correia breaks down a confrontation in China between a truck driver and a cargo facility operator that ended with a knife drawn and a bystander knocking the knife-wielder unconscious with a metal pipe.

Key points

• The dispute: According to news reporting Correia cites, the driver's unloading window was not honored and a payment dispute followed. The driver then pulled a knife to threaten the other man.
• The strike: One bystander with a long metal pipe swiped the knife away, and another, in a striped shirt, struck the knife-wielder in the head from behind.
• The aftermath: The man who swung the pipe was arrested, though the two reportedly reached a settlement and no formal charges were filed. There is no indication the knife-wielder faced charges.
• Deadly force: Correia says a pipe to the head is deadly force, noting that by his figure roughly 85% of Americans hit by handgun fire survive.
• Tool choice: He calls a long pipe slow and unwieldy against a skilled knife attacker, and says he would prefer a chair.

Quick take

Correia says the strike would almost certainly be justified under U.S. self-defense law, where most states let a person defend a third party as they would defend themselves, though a small number of "alter ego" states apply stricter standards. He argues that legal systems that punish intervention discourage bystanders from helping.

Watch the full video: Active Self Protection