Run, Hide, Tell? London attack response likely saved lives

In this Saturday, June 3, 2017, image made from a video, people run from the scene an attack in London. The Borough neighborhood in London offered safety and a place to sleep for hundreds of people amid the chaos of Saturday night’s attack in the heart of the city. (Sky news via AP)

As reports of stabbings in a popular London nightspot started flowing in late Saturday, police sent out a tweet warning people in the area to run, hide and then call authorities.

Desperate officers on the scene also shouted at bystanders to run.

The Run, Hide, Tell strategy — known in the U.S. as Run, Hide, Fight — has been credited with saving lives in certain circumstances. But some say the strategy isn’t perfect, especially when a victim’s first instinct might be to freeze on the spot.

Saturday’s attack began when a van drove into pedestrians on busy London Bridge. Three men wielding large knives got out of the van and attacked people at nearby bars and restaurants. The men killed seven people and injured roughly 50 before they were shot dead by police.