A London Ambulance worker has recounted the moment he prevented a man armed with a large knife from attacking a mother and her daughter. Luke Rapela, who had only been with the London Ambulance Service for a year, sprang into action after witnessing the incident unfold.
The father of two was driving through Battersea, south London, when a woman ran out of a house and into the road in front of his ambulance, screaming and visibly distressed. After stopping the vehicle and getting out, he saw a man approaching with a knife described as being around 50 centimetres long.
Luke said: “It was a kitchen knife, but the biggest I’ve ever seen, and 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.” At that moment, the woman screamed that her daughter was still inside the house. Luke then ran into the house and confronted the man, who began threatening him, saying he would stab him.
Luke, who previously worked in security, said: “I’ve worked in environments where I’ve had to deal with confrontation and aggression before. 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.” Eventually, Luke de-escalated the situation and calmed the man down until the police arrived. When officers arrived, they were reportedly surprised by the size of the knife.
“When the police saw the size of the knife, they looked genuinely surprised. At the time, I didn’t really process the danger I was in. I just tried to stay calm and keep talking. That was the main thing — keeping him engaged and stopping it escalating further,” Luke added.
Luke has now been awarded a Chief Executive's Commendation, a high-level award presented to individuals in public service or healthcare for outstanding performance, exceptional bravery, or significant contributions that go above and beyond their normal duties.
Chief Executive Jason Killens KAM 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.”
