Customer Intervenes to Aid Police Officer During Attack

Kyle Whiting, 32, interrupted his haircut at Haron Barbers in Warrington, Cheshire, to assist a police officer. He observed the officer being confronted and wrestled into a headlock through the shop window. Still wearing the barber’s cape, Mr. Whiting quickly exited the establishment, pulled the assailant away from the officer, and enabled the officer to handcuff the suspect. Footage of the event, captured on a mobile phone, circulated on social media platforms. Viewers commended Mr. Whiting, referring to him with monikers such as “barbershop Batman,” “haircut hero,” and “caped crusader.” Mr. Whiting, whose sister serves as a police officer, stated that his presence at the barbershop was coincidental, having just brought his girlfriend to the A&E unit at Warrington Hospital, located nearby. He became aware of an issue when the barber’s attention was drawn to a disturbance occurring outside. He recounted, “Before you know it, my barber had taken his phone out and had gone up to the window and started recording. I then saw the guy outside swing for the police officer and throw him down on to the ground.” Mr. Whiting explained his motivation, stating, “I thought, ‘I’m not sitting back and watching this’.” He mentioned considering his sister’s profession and the importance of “putting yourselves in other people’s shoes.” He elaborated, “If that was my sister, I would hope somebody wouldn’t hesitate to help her if she was on her own,” adding, “So before you know it, I’ve run out of the door.” Additional officers and members of the public subsequently arrived to provide assistance, allowing Mr. Whiting to go back to the barber’s chair to complete his haircut. By chance, Mr. Whiting later encountered the police officer at the A&E unit, where the officer was awaiting an X-ray for a broken finger sustained during the incident, seated beside Mr. Whiting’s girlfriend. Cheshire Constabulary expressed gratitude to Mr. Whiting for his intervention during the event on 16 December. The force confirmed, “A 50-year-old man was subsequently arrested in relation to the matter and has since been passed to the care of health professionals.” The video depicting the incident, which was shared by Mr. Whiting’s sister, has accumulated over 400,000 views and 50,000 likes on Instagram and Facebook. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.