Teacher Honored for Heroic Intervention in Supermarket Knife Attack

Tobias Schneller received the state's prestigious Rescue Medal for disarming an attacker and aiding police after a violent assault on a young girl.

Tobias Schneller, a 53-year-old teacher, disarmed and pursued a knife-wielding attacker in a supermarket in Wangen im Allgäu, preventing further harm.
The attacker, a 35-year-old man with a history of mental illness, severely injured a four-year-old girl in the unprovoked April 2024 incident.
Schneller's actions, which included notifying police of the attacker's location, were praised as life-saving and selfless by Interior Minister Thomas Strobl.
The injured child survived after undergoing emergency surgery, and the attacker was later deemed legally unfit to stand trial and committed to psychiatric care.
Schneller, who trains school first responders, emphasized the importance of quick action in emergencies, stating that anyone can help save lives.