Hero of Brighton knife rampage was a six-month-old puppy called Mars

The owner of a young puppy has spoken of his terror after he had to drop him to protect his son from a knife-wielding attacker in Brighton.

Mars, a six-month-old pup, used his loud bark to distract a suspect who had already allegedly slashed a man’s face and punched another through a taxi window.

The knifeman was then wrestled to the ground by members of the public in a chaotic incident at around 6pm on Saturday evening.

The man was out with his five-year-old son and six-month-old puppy Mars when the situation unfolded quickly.

He said: ‘I was holding my son in my right arm and my dog in my left hand. We were going to the Meeting Place Cafe to get bubblegum ice cream.’

After leaving his house he spotted a man running alongside a taxi.

He said: ‘A man was holding the taxi window open and running with the car which was unusual.

‘The taxi accelerated down the street so he had to let go. Then he looked like he was looking for the next person to attack.

The man described how he was in a vulnerable position because he did not have a free hand, so was forced to let go of his dog to find safety.

He said: ‘I grabbed my son and ran with him to Uncle Sam’s burger restaurant.

He said those few seconds gave him just enough time to get his son to safety.

After the chaos, he returned to find Mars surrounded by people.

He said: ‘When I got back Mars was shaking, and was surrounded by 12 people with blood all over his fur. The suspect was on the ground.

‘People were worried about the dog and thought he should go to the vet. I was worried Mars had been killed but luckily he wasn’t hurt. Mars is the hero from yesterday.

One man was taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries after his face and ear were slashed on Sillwood Street, a short walk from the city’s famous beach.

The 29-year-old was discharged after treatment. A 28-year-old man who was hit through the taxi window was also assessed at hospital, while the dog was unharmed.

The 28-year-old victim said he was taken to hospital by the taxi driver and stayed there for several hours.

The taxi passenger said: ‘I was in a taxi coming back from my friend’s house and the taxi pulled up and a guy out of nowhere came through the taxi window and hit me in the eye, it hurt loads and my eye felt really weird.

‘I didn’t know what happened and the taxi driver said, ‘You’ve got blood all over you.’
‘He said, “We’re not stopping here,” and drove me to hospital.
‘Everyone was telling me ‘he’s got a knife’ and I could see it in his hand.
‘I was just lucky it wasn’t a machete.’

Officers were called to the road just before 6pm yesterday following reports of an individual with a knife.

A 33-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm with intent. He remains in custody.

Sussex Police said the man, who lives locally, was ‘swiftly tackled to the ground by members of the public’ and his knife was seized.

Images from the scene show a section of the street cordoned off with police tape.

Detective Inspector Stephen Taylor said: ‘This was a distressing and serious incident and the victims are being supported by officers.

‘A thorough investigation is underway to ensure we have a full picture of what happened.

‘Witnesses have come forward and we thank them for helping us in our investigation.

‘Our neighbourhood policing officers are patrolling in the area and if anyone has any concerns they should speak with them.’

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