LONDON: A man hailed as a hero for attempting to prevent a woman from being stabbed to death by hitting the attacker with his car has been released without charges by London police.
The 26-year-old driver known as Abraham saw Yasmin Chkaifi being violently assaulted and stabbed by a man in Maida Vale, London, before he made the split-second decision to ram the attacker with his car.
Chkaifi, 43, and the attacker, Leon McCaskre, who had previously been romantically involved, both died — Chkaifi from her stab wounds and McCaskre from being hit with the vehicle — and Abraham was arrested on suspicion of murder.
On Tuesday, Abraham was released from police custody with no further action, the Metropolitan Police said.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Rawlinson said: “Having reviewed the CCTV evidence and taken statements of numerous members of the public and attending officers, as well as reviewing the legal position regarding self-defense and defense of another, a decision has been taken that the driver of the car, a 26-year-old man, will face no further police action.
“He is considered a vital witness to our investigation and will be offered support from professionals to help him come to terms with the terrifying situation he was confronted with.”
Many in the public consider Abraham a hero for making the difficult decision to hit a person with his car in an attempt to save the life of another.
Last week, he pleaded with the police to de-arrest him, saying he “just wanted to stop him hurting anybody further” and it was “never [his] intention to harm” McCaskre.
Thousands had signed a petition calling for him not to face criminal charges.
“I am a person of good character, I have never been arrested before in my life,” Abraham said in a statement tweeted by his lawyer, Mohammed Akunjee.
The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the police watchdog after it emerged that an arrest warrant for McCaskre had been issued three weeks ago.
He was wanted for allegedly breaching a stalking order and not showing up to court.
