A teacher is being hailed a hero after rugby tackled a knife-wielding suspect armed with a shotgun who left two colleagues injured at a college in Crawley.
Crawley College in West Sussex was evacuated on Monday afternoon with terrified students claiming a hooded and masked gunman entered the building while ‘waving a black pistol around’ before attacking lecturers.
Witnesses said the gunman, who was also armed with a knife, stabbed one college lecturer in the hand and fired blanks directly at another lecturer.
Students claimed a hero teacher jumped in to subdue the man, with Snapchat footage showing the suspect being tackled to the ground before police arrested him.
Officers received multiple calls shortly after 3.10pm to reports of gun shots being fired at the college. Armed police quickly rushed to the scene and an 18-year-old man from Crawley was arrested. The suspect remains in custody.
A gun and a knife were seized and two college staff members were treated for minor injuries. Around 30 armed response officers from forces across the southeast were involved in the operation, while a police helicopter hovered overhead.
In an update late Monday evening, Sussex Police confirmed the event is not being treated as a terrorist incident.
Chief Superintendent Howard Hodges added: ‘We continue to have a policing presence in Crawley and are speaking to witnesses. We are still appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
‘Two staff members at the College suffered minor injuries and presented themselves to a walk-in medical centre. I want to thank those who helped apprehend the suspect before officers arrived and all the students, staff and public for their co-operation.’