News Ibaraki police drill video going viral

When JR and Ibaraki Prefectural Police conducted an emergency drill inside a train on Japan Rail's Joban Line, they shared the video of the event with the public. Their desire to spread information about what might occur and how staff and passengers should deal with such an incident went better than planned. The video went viral, as the man playing the role of the knife-wielding assailant played so convincingly that the stand-in passengers didn't need to act scared. They genuinely were.


So far, the video has got 3.4m views on Twitter. The way the assailant was subdued is quite interesting and - most importantly - non-lethal.

In Maine 12 passengers pull out their gun and fill him full of holes. No gun permits required here. Unfortunately no training or knowledge of the law is required either. Over the years , I've taken a few classes and there was one I'll never forget. The instructor was naming off all the times you were not allowed to shoot someone. A little old lady about 4 feet tall and 80 years old replied "Well , when the hell can I shoot them? ".

thomas said:

The way the assailant was subdued is quite interesting and - most importantly - non-lethal.

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It does make one wonder if they've ever successfully caught an assailant this way in real life.

kudos to the assailant, we don't often see training that includes acting to increase the tension in the air. How you train is how you fight, and most people only get the basic premise of a maneuver, and totally blank out when confronted with an angry unhinged person. The adrenaline and cortisol from a confrontation is powerful, so practice helps a lot.

But usually those people are experiencing a temporary distress, so it's far more preferable to subdue the individual in a way that does the least harm. Strip them of their weapon and then subdue or give them a little space. One person can be easily taken by a coordinated group, just isolate the limbs and apply leverage to limit movement. Of course each situation is different so we must put some trust in those with boots on the ground over hard and fast rules when it comes to responding to and neutralizing an armed threat.