Video captured the moment an Apprentice star bravely intervened as a ‘floridly psychotic’ knifeman randomly attacked shoppers.
Azzeddine Mahmoudi was armed with two knives when he lunged at members of the public in Bevois Valley Road, Southampton.
Mahmoudi, a former maths teacher who has a degree in aerospace, was jailed for two-and-a-half years today after inflicting serious but non-life-threatening injuries on two people and attempting to assault five others.
Striking footage of the attack, which took place on a Sunday afternoon in August, shows Mahmoudi frantically waving the long kitchen knife around at pedestrians.
TV star Sohail Chowdhary, who featured in series 17 of The Apprentice, could be seen heroically jumping into action after encountering Mahmoudi in the street.
The martial arts instructor distracted the knifeman by running alongside him, throwing objects and warning nearby pedestrians, before the arrival of police.
Mahmoudi, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, had stopped taking his medication and become ‘floridly psychotic’.
He was experiencing ‘persecutory’ hallucinations that made him think ‘ordinary passersby’ were trying to harm him.
Mahmoudi took two kitchen knives to an Aldi in Southampton on August 3, 2025, and started randomly attacking people in the carpark between 12.40 and 1pm.
At one point the driver of a car realised what was going on and tried to run Mahmoudi over – but Mr Chowdhary urged the motorist not to.
The TV star eventually waved down the police cars and pointed to the knifeman, leading to his eventual arrest.
Matthew Lawson, prosecuting, said: ‘[One man] got a trolley and used it to get the defendant away.
‘He tried to run but tripped on a bollard and [Mahmoudi] stabbed at him, but he was pulled to safety by Mr Chowdhary.
‘Mr Chowhdary followed [Mahmoudi] to try to help people.
‘They reached Empress Road when Mahmoudi attacked someone else.
‘He ran away and was followed by Mr Chowdhary. Someone driving their car attempted to drive into [Mahmoudi] but Mr Chowdhary told them not to do that.
‘He shouted at people warning them to run away.
‘The police arrived with tasers and [Mahmoudi] was told to drop the knives on the ground. He complied.’
In the run-up to series 17 of the Apprentice, Mr Chowdhary told the BBC he was ‘dedicated to looking out for the little guy’.
He also said: ‘I am calm and collected, but if they do come at me? I will bite and I will sting, and I will leave my mark.’
Investigating officer DC Ryan Mitchell praised Mr Chowdhary’s actions as ‘heroic’.
He said: ‘Azzeddine Mahmoudi launched a frenzied attack which was terrifying for all involved and those in the vicinity, when all they were trying to do was go about their business on a sunny summer’s afternoon.
‘The fact no one was more seriously hurt or died as a result of this attack is in no small part thanks to the heroic actions of those members of the public, who, without a second thought for their own safety, bravely stepped in to help those around them and prevent him from sustaining his attacks much further before police arrived.’
Hampshire Constabulary said Mahmoudi was stopped with ‘incapacitant spray’ before being arrested as officers arrived at the scene.
During a search, a second smaller knife was located in his possession.
‘None of the witnesses reported having heard him say anything during the duration of the attack.
‘The first injured victim had suffered cuts to his head and arm, before the second victim – both men – stepped in to try and help the first, and suffered injuries to his hand,’ a spokesman added.
Sentencing Mahmoudi today at Southampton Crown Court, Judge William Mousley KC told the knifeman: ‘You had schizophrenia. That is a life long condition which needed and continues to need comprehensive treatment.
‘You decided against medical advice to stop taking your medication which made your schizophrenia relapse.
‘You stopped because of your side effects but you thought you could manage without it. You were not aware of the consequences.
‘You were floridly psychotic and experiencing persecutory hallucinations at the time of the offences and this reduces your culpability.’
Mahmoudi admitted two counts of unlawful wounding, one count of affray and two counts of possession of a bladed article.
