Video

France Train Hero: ‘Rather Be Active Than Simply Sit In The Corner And Be Shot’ [VIDEO]

Heather Hunter Contributor
Font Size:

A British man, Chris Norman, who with three Americans rushed a gunman on a train from Amsterdam to Paris Friday, told reporters he’d “rather be active than simply sit in the corner and be shot.”

Norman had joined Americans Airman First Class Spencer Stone, Oregon National Guard Specialist Alek Skarlatos and college senior Anthony Sadler in tackling the attacker.

“I heard a shot. I heard some glass breaking. Then I saw somebody running down the aisle to the front of the train. I was facing towards the back. I then stood up to see what was happening. I saw a man with what I think was an AK-47. Anyway, it was some kind of a machine gun or sub machine gun. My first reaction was to sit down and hide,” Norman told reporters Saturday.

The British business man expressed that he was inspired by the Americans willing to take on the terrorist.

“Then one guy, an American, said ‘Go get him’ and I heard another American say ‘Don’t you do that, buddy.’  So then I decided that perhaps it was really the only time or only chance was to act as a team and try to take over the terrorist. So what I then did, I jumped up and I was actually the fourth person to begin working on the terrorist,” he said.

Norman was weary of terrorist attacks and knew that “either you sit down or you get up and you die.”

“We’ve seen enough of these kinds of attacks to understand that they will kill everyone once they started. My point of view was that two guys had already started attacking him so maybe they needed some help and it was purely survival. I said to myself ‘Maybe I have a chance as well,'” he said.

Norman held the terrorist’s arms so he could not get access to the gun.

“Anthony had a pretty good go at hitting him… The way the Americans had a go at him, he could not do much more,” he said.

When the train heroes got the terrorist on the floor, Norman tied him up with a tie.

The British man was born in Uganda and grew up in Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. His job is to help African entrepreneurs to look for financing in Europe. He was on the train that day in Holland because he was looking for export credits for a client.

WATCH:

Tags : france
Heather Hunter