Brave man intervenes in a hostage situation when the police wouldn't

A passer-by heroically took down a man who had taken a woman hostage when the rest of the police were too afraid to intervene.

A man intervened in a hostage situation
© Youtube
A man intervened in a hostage situation

This dramatic footage, taken by what appears to be a mobile device, went viral in China, and it's clear to see why.

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In the video, we can see a man, with what appears to be a huge meat cleaver, who had taken a woman hostage and was threatening security.

The man was acting hysterically and was surrounded by armed policemen holding riot shields, but the officers did not dare to intervene in this hostage situation for fear that he might hurt the woman or that they would worsen the situation in any way.

The man, whose demands or reasons for taking the woman hostage remain unknown, was eventually charged at by a brave passer-by, who grabbed the man's knife-wielding arm and threw him to the ground with a spectacular judo move.

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Takedown! Youtube

This brave intervention allowed the woman to be hurried off to safety while other police officers stepped in to detain the man properly, whose arm is said to have been broken during the take-down.

Check out the video above to see the impressive footage that went viral. It's good to know that there are still brave people like this man left in the world!

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