An unarmed police officer has tackled a man wielding a samurai sword who allegedly attacked a young woman at random in the street.

[link to uk.news.yahoo.com]

An unarmed police officer has tackled a man wielding a samurai sword who allegedly attacked a young woman at random in the street.

The sergeant, based in Islington, north London, went to the scene of the assault in Holloway Road early on Monday to find the woman bleeding heavily on the ground and a 25-year-old man brandishing the sword.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said the alleged attacker made several attempts to injure the officer while chasing him along the road.

"The officer then turned, placing himself inside the samurai sword's arc and forced him to the ground, before arresting him," he said.