Police are trying to trace a mysterious samurai sword-wielding vigilante who came to the rescue of two officers when they were being attacked by an armed gang.
The officers had been set upon after they tried to disrupt a burglary at a flat in Laygate, South Shields.
Stranger used samurai sword
Stranger used samurai sword

A group of men had knocked on the door pretending to be policemen before forcing their way in to ransack the place.

The passing plain-clothes officers were alerted when a woman inside started screaming, and went to help.

However, they were outnumbered, and the criminals were armed with a hammer, knives and a metal chain.

One of them lunged at a policeman with his knife - but just as he did so, a mysterious do-gooder appeared from nowhere and attacked him with a samurai sword.
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One of the burglars ran off, but was stopped by the stranger, who hit him on the arm with the sword.