A Nice resident is being praised for his courage after intervening to stop a violent attack on a neighbour in the early hours of Sunday, August 16, an act that likely saved her life.
Yuri Lebedev, in his thirties, was alerted by cries for help from the courtyard of his building on avenue Georges-Clemenceau around 1am. He confronted the attacker, restraining him until police arrived, and stayed with the woman, who had suffered serious knife wounds, as emergency services took her to Nice's CHU. Her condition was initially considered life-threatening; she has since been declared out of danger. Police, alerted directly to the scene, arrested the suspect, a 49 year old British national, at the scene. He remains in custody, with Nice's public prosecutor confirming the investigation covers attempted murder.
Mayor Éric Ciotti received Lebedev at Nice's town hall on Monday, presenting him with the city's medal in recognition of his actions, and said he would write to the Interior Minister requesting a national distinction be awarded as well. "I couldn't live with the thought that someone died because I did nothing," Lebedev told France 3 Côte d'Azur, visibly still shaken by the night's events.