Victoria police Const. Lane Douglas-Hunt was just holding the door to the 7-Eleven store open for a man, when he attacked her with a knife.
Her impeccable physical condition and recent training in defence against edged weapons helped save her life, her mother said.
“Her fitness, her quickness is what saved her,” Mary Douglas-Hunt said from Royal Jubilee Hospital Tuesday, while waiting for her daughter to pull through surgery on her left hand.
“She had just been through training with (knives) so she did everything textbook. So we’re very happy she’s still with us.”
Lane, 24, had been working on an investigation into the theft of a chocolate bar from a convenience store in the 800-block of Douglas Street.
The 57-year-old man, known to police, targeted Lane because of her police uniform, VicPD Chief Jamie Graham said.
The fight cut Lane’s neck and right hand, and did severe damage to her left hand as she blocked the knife blade from her body.
With her attacker pinning her to the ground, Lane had the clarity of mind to yell at nearby pedestrians to stay back, in consideration for their safety, said Sgt. Grant Hamilton.
Meanwhile, Saanich resident Blair Bater, 45, stopped his car and jumped out, asking Lane whether she needed help. She said yes.
“It was just reaction, I just seen somebody that needed my hand,” Bater said.
Bater lunged at the attacker, then held him to the ground on his stomach, with Bater’s knee in the man’s back.
Soon, Rob Caunter, who works for the Downtown Victoria Business Association joined in, helping to restrain the man.
Lane’s hands were so badly damaged she couldn’t operate her handcuffs. She passed them to Bater, who cuffed the attacker.
Police officers arrived and took the suspect in custody. Guy Herve Seguin remains in custody, charged with attempted murder.