This is the hero teacher who bravely disarmed a teenage girl with a knife at school, it has been reported.
Darrel Campbell then reportedly put the pupil in a headlock after wading into the horror during the morning break in the playground at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman - Amman Valley School - in Carmarthenshire. Witnesses say Mr Campbell was able to wrestle the butterfly knife from the girl, and keep her detained until police arrived. Dyfed-Powys Police said a teenage girl was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, after three people - two teachers and a teenager - were rushed to hospital with stab wounds.
"Everyone was running and there were screams that the girl was going mad with a knife. Mr Campbell arrived on the scene and put her in a headlock and got the knife off her," a source told the MailOnline. Mr Campbell, who is Head of Year 11 at the 1,800-pupil school, was uninjured in the incident, which led to a four-hour "Code Red" lockdown. Pupils had to stay in isolation with staff and were reportedly unable to use their phones or look out of windows during this period.
One of the teachers injured in the stabbing has been named as Fiona Elias, the BBC reports. Ms Elias, 48, is the deputy headteacher at the school. Her father, John Owen, said he spoke to her after the attack and she told him she had “superficial injuries," The Times reports.
He said: “Obviously I was extremely worried when I found out there had been an attack at the school. She phoned me at about 3pm to say she had superficial wounds to her hand." Another teacher, Liz Hopkin, is also said to be recovering hospital. She was taken to hospital by air ambulance.
The incident is said to have involved two girls before two staff intervened. Police are not looking for anyone else in relation to the emergency situation and warned people who had shared footage on social media to remove it "to avoid contempt of court and distressing those affected".
Those stabbed were taken to hospital but their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. Carmarthenshire County Council moved to reassure parents to say the incident "has been contained" and that family members of the injured had been informed. Detectives said a knife was recovered from the scene. The school will be closed tomorrow while the police investigation continues and pupils will do their lessons online.
Teaching union the Association of School and College Leaders Cymru described it as a "horrifying incident". Director Eithne Hughes said: "While we don't know the full details of what has happened, this is clearly a horrifying incident and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected at the school and in the wider community."