British passenger on France train who helped thwart gunman feared death: ‘I’d rather die trying to take this person down’

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An injured passenger is carried on a stretcher after a gunman opened fire on a train travelling from Amsterdam to Paris on Aug. 21, 2015. The gunman injured three people before being overpowered by passengers, French state rail company SNCF and rescue services said. Two of the victims were seriously injured and at least one suffered gunshot wounds, an SNCF spokesman said, adding that the assailant was armed with guns and knives.

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U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Spencer Stone (2nd L), Anthony Sadler (R) and Alek Skarlatos (L), the three men who subdued a gunman on a Paris-bound train in August, at the Oval Office At the White House in Washington in a Sept. 17, 2015 file photo. France train attack hero Spencer Stone was repeatedly stabbed in Sacramento, California and is in stable condition, media reports said on Thursday. Stone was stabbed on Wednesday night, NBC reported. Stone and two friends who grew up together in Sacramento subdued a gunman on a high-speed train bound for Paris in August, winning accolades from the presidents of France and the United States.

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Chris Norman, of Britain, helped overpower a train attacker in France.

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Crime and forensic investigators stand on a platform next to a Thalys train of French national railway operator SNCF at the main train station in Arras, northern France, on August 21, 2015.

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Chris Norman speaks with reporters after he helped three Americans thwart a gunman aboard a passenger train in France.

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U.S. ambassador to France Jane Hartley (2nd R) presents student Anthony Sadler (L), U.S Airman First Class Spencer Stone (2nd L) and National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos (R) as they attend a ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France, August 23, 2015. The three men helped overpower a Kalashnikov-toting attacker on a high speed Thalys train heading for Paris from Amsterdam on Aug. 22, 2015.

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Police work on a platform next to a Thalys train of French national railway operator SNCF at the main train station in Arras, northern France, on August 21, 2015. A gunman opened fire on a train travelling from Amsterdam to Paris, injuring three people before being overpowered by passengers, French state rail company SNCF and rescue services said. Two of the victims were seriously injured and at least one suffered gunshot wounds, an SNCF spokesman said, adding that the assailant was armed with guns and knives. The motives behind the attack were not immediately known. AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images

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French investigating police in protective clothing prepare to enter the Thalys high-speed train where shots were fired to collect clues in Arras, France on August 21, 2015. Shots were fired on a Thalys high-speed train between Amsterdam and Paris on Friday and several people were injured, the French interior ministry said. A man was arrested when the train stopped at Arras station in northern France but his motives were not yet known, a ministry spokesman said.

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An ambulance stands outside the main train station in Arras, northern France, on Aug. 21, 2015.

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A Thalys train of French national railway operator, SNCF, stands at the main train station in Arras, northern France, after a gunman opened fire injuring three people on Aug. 21, 2015.

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French President Francois Hollande (L) shakes hands with off-duty serviceman Spencer Stone (C) next to US ambassador to France Jane Hartley (2nd R) and off-duty servicemen Anthony Sadler (R) and Alek Skarlatos (2nd L) on August 24, 2015 after a reception at the Elysee Palace in Paris, to award the three young americans with France's top Legion d'Honneur medal in recognition of their bravery after they overpowered the train attacker.

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U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone (c.) is congratulated by U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter (l.) and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Paul Selva during an awards ceremony for Stone and two other men who helped stop a gunman on a Paris-bound train last month at the Pentagon Sept. 17, 2015 in Arlington, Virginia.

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Police officers investigate on the crime scene inside a Thalys train of French national railway operator SNCF at the main train station in Arras, northern France, on Aug. 21, 2015.

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French judicial police stand on the train platform near gun cartridges and a backpack in Arras, France on Aug. 21, 2015.

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These are three out of four heroes who stopped an attacker on a train in France: (Left to right) Anthony Sadler, Aleck Skarlatos and Chris Norman, a British man living in France. They're pictured posing with medals they received for their bravery at a restaurant in Arras.

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French investigating police in protective clothing collect clues inside the Thalys high-speed train where shots were fired in Arras, France, August 21, 2015.

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Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler wave to a cheering crowd during a celebration honoring them in Sacramento, California on September 11, 2015. The three men are being heralded as heroes for helping to stop a terrorist plot aboard a Paris-bound train on August 21.

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U.S. serviceman Spencer Stone, one of three Americans who helped take down a gunman on a French train in August, was stabbed in the chest in Sacramento, California on Oct. 8, 2015. Airman First Class Stone is said to be in a stable condition, a spokesperson said. "He is alive and in stable condition at this time," the spokesperson said. "We do not have any information as to the events preceding the incident." Stone is pictured back in August departing the Clinique Lille Sud, which specializes in hand injuries in Lesquin, France, after he was wounded in a struggle to subdue the Kalashnikov-toting attacker aboard a high-speed Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris. Two U.S. servicemen, one of whom suffered knife wounds, were among passengers who stopped the gunman.

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French judicial police stand on the train platform near gun cartridges and a backpack in Arras, France on Aug. 21, 2015.

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Crime investigators look into the window of a Thalys train of French national railway operator SNCF at the main train station in Arras, northern France, on Aug. 21, 2015.

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Police inspect a crime scene inside a Thalys train of French national railway operator SNCF at the main train station in Arras, northern France, on Aug. 21, 2015. A gunman opened fire on a train travelling from Amsterdam to Paris, injuring three people before being overpowered by passengers, French state rail company SNCF and rescue services said. Two of the victims were seriously injured and at least one suffered gunshot wounds, an SNCF spokesman said, adding that the assailant was armed with guns and knives.