( CNN ) -- It 's a special thing when a childhood idol does indeed turn out to be a real-life hero . Many students and adults responded with courage Wednesday morning when a 16-year-old sophomore allegedly attacked classmates with two knives at a suburban Pittsburgh high school . But only one person managed to stop the horrific ordeal : Sam King . The Franklin Regional Senior High School assistant principal tackled the alleged assailant to the ground to end five gory , terrifying minutes inside his school , said Murrysville , Pennsylvania , police Chief Thomas Seefeld . It was an act of incredible bravery , yes . But not everyone was surprised it was King who did it . `` Mr. King has always been like a storybook hero , ever since we were little , '' former student Challon Fisher wrote on Twitter . `` Love that man . '' Added Julia Bolkovac , who graduated from the school last year : `` If there was one guy in the school who I thought would do that , it would be him . '' 'What Mr. King did is just awesome ' Sam King was n't alone . Three others -- a school security guard , Assistant Principal Joan Mellon and patrolman William `` Buzz '' Yakshe , working as the school resource officer -- also played a part in subduing the suspect , identified as Alex Hribal . `` They were all extremely instrumental , '' said Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck . `` In coming out ( and seeing ) chaos in the halls ( and the aftermath of ) an attack on a number of students , people were rushing by ... Those four individuals showed no lack of courage . '' The security guard suffered stab wounds in the melee -- the sole adult injured , in addition to at least 20 students -- just before King who provided the tackle that ended the bloodshed . Heroes in all forms step up during school stabbing . While authorities did n't detail King 's role immediately , social media quickly outed him as a hero . `` What Mr. King did is just awesome , '' wrote one Franklin Regional alumnus now at Penn State . `` A great man becoming a hero when people needed him most . '' Another former Panther described King as her hero since she was 7 . One student lauded him as `` the man of the year . '' And another said King was due a simple , but deserved , tribute whenever the school reopened . `` I 'm feeling a standing ovation for Mr. King the next time i see him in lunch , '' he tweeted . King known for being 'there for his students ' Many students praising King on Wednesday had known him for years , back to the time he was an elementary school principal . `` He has always had a relationship with each and every student , '' said Fisher . `` ... Mr. King 's personality is something people look up to , just because of how caring it is . '' King graduated , in a sense , to his new job at the high school two years ago , according to Fisher . Bolkovac said that wherever he went , King was looked up to as `` a role model . '' `` He was a big guy walking around the school , '' she told CNN . `` He made an effort to make everyone feel welcomed . '' That 's what Matt DeCesare , a current Franklin Regional Senior High student , thinks as well . Students do n't have anything negative to say about him ; what they will say is that he is `` very agreeable '' and always willing to help anyone out . `` He 's really there for the students , '' DeCesare said . `` ... He is always doing things ( in their ) best interest . '' Never was that more true than Wednesday . Opinion : School stabbing victim 's selfie was perfectly fine . CNN 's Ray Sanchez and Steve Almasy contributed to this report .
A mass stabbing takes place at Franklin Regional Senior High School outside Franklin . Assistant Principal Sam Smith brings down the suspect , according to police . A former student says if anyone would have done that , ` ` it would be him '' who is celebrated on social media as ` ` a hero '' and ` ` man of the year ''