A veteran has been branded a “local hero” after protecting children from a man wielding a knife.
Dave Atkinson, 41, who served eight years in the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers, was at home on Lotherton Drive in Spennymoor, County Durham, when he heard shouting outside at around 3:50pm on Tuesday.
He looked out to find distressed women and children nearby, unaware that a man with a knife was in close proximity.
The veteran said: "I didn't know what was going on at first, but I could hear shouting.
“There were girls there who were really distressed and crying, and there were kids around too.
“I saw the knife. I spotted it straight away, but the girls hadn't seen it as they had their backs turned."
Drawing on his military training, Mr Atkinson acted quickly and calmly, guiding the women and children into a nearby home and instructing them to lock the door before calling police and specifically requesting armed backup, the Northern Echo reports.
He said: "Being ex-military, I spotted the danger straight away and tried to act calmly to keep everyone else as calm as possible.
The incident took place on Lotherton Drive in Spennymoor, south Durham
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“The police response was quick - they had the street closed off within minutes."
Armed officers arrived rapidly, with gun-toting police and drones descending on the normally quiet residential street, which was cordoned off at both ends while residents were told to remain inside.
A neighbour who opened her home to provide refuge for the women and children said she did not want to think about what might have happened without Mr Atkinson's intervention.
She said: "I dread to think what could have happened if Dave wasn't there - you can't bear thinking about it.”
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The neighbour explained how they provided shelter to the women and children after Mr Atkinson instructed them to lock the door and stay inside.
She said the incident had left the entire street shaken, adding that none of those caught up in the events had been able to sleep afterwards.
The neighbour said the street had been sealed off at both ends, admitting that nothing like it had ever happened in the area before and that residents, due to still being in shock, had struggled to sleep the night after.
She described Mr Atkinson as a "local hero”.
After a standoff lasting around half an hour, police arrested a man in his 40s on suspicion of possession of a bladed article, who remained in custody while further inquiries were carried out.
A Durham Police spokesperson confirmed: "A man was reported to be in possession of a knife and making threats to members of the public.
“Armed officers attended and a man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of possession of a bladed article."
Pictures taken at the scene on Wednesday morning showed the front door of a property on the street boarded up after officers smashed it down during the standoff.
Mr Atkinson said the incident had left the wider community deeply unsettled, particularly given the number of families and children who witnessed events unfold.
The veteran said the incident had been particularly distressing given the number of families with young children living on the street, many of whom had witnessed the events unfold and were left “shaken up” by what they had seen.
He added that the street was ordinarily a peaceful place where nothing of this nature ever happened.
The “local hero” said: "This is a quiet estate and usually there's no bother at all.
"You never expect seeing anything like this around here - it's something you see on the news, not on your doorstep."
Residents praised the speed of the police response and the courage shown by officers who attended the scene.
The man arrested remains in custody while Durham Police continue their inquiries into the incident.