Dramatic camera footage shows the moment a student was bundled to the ground after pulling a knife on a city bouncer.

Gideon Wallace, 19, drew the weapon after he was thrown out of The Cuban nightclub in Canterbury for vomiting over the bar.

However, the quick-thinking actions of brave doormen stopped the teenager from extending the blade from its handle.

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Body-worn video cameras captured them rugby-tackling Wallace to the ground, where he was disarmed and pinned down until police arrived.

The Canterbury Christ Church University biologist, who lives in Sturry Road, had been in The Cuban with a friend on January 21 when the pair were thrown out after he was sick at the bar.

They managed to sneak back in while door staff were distracted by another problem.

Video footage shows the pair being led out again before Wallace begins to become agitated, telling the doorman: “I’m from London. I’m not from Canterbury. I’m from London, big man.”

Despite warnings, Wallace is seen turning around and fiddling with his belt before producing the knife and holding it in his right hand.

As his friend tries to calm the situation, the doormen take Wallace to the floor and disarm him.

Prosecutor Donna East told the court: “Door staff reacted instantaneously and the defendant was taken to the ground and restrained, and the lock knife was taken from him.

“But for their quick thinking this might have escalated into something far more serious.”

As he lay on the ground, the doorman tells Wallace that he advised him not to draw a weapon.

The student replies: “I’m from London. That’s what I’m about. It is what it is.”

Wallace told police he thought he was about to be attacked and had produced the knife to defend himself and “to get everyone to back off”.

Max Reeves, defending, said he had the knife for four years and had forgotten it had been in his jacket when he went out.

He doesn’t know why he put the knife in his jacket pocket that day and hadn’t expected to become involved in any altercation that night,” Mr Reeves said.

“He was genuinely scared that night and reached into his pocket but he didn’t unlock the knife.”

Wallace admitted possessing a knife in public and threatening door staff.

Judge Heather Norton told him he had taken the weapon with him on some “misguided idea” it could be used in self-defence.

“It takes but a moment of irritation, drunkenness, anger or perceived insult for the weapon to be produced, then we have mayhem,” she said.

Wallace received a six-month prison sentence suspended for a year.

He must also carry out 150 hours’ unpaid work and remain indoors between 8pm and 6am for the next month.

Security firm boss Oli Nonis says his doormen have been “badly let down” by the justice system after Wallace was spared jail.

The 37-year-old, pictured, who runs St Dunstan’s-based Akon Security, says his staff put themselves at great risk to disarm and subdue the teenager.

“We do feel disappointed at the system,” he said.

“For something as serious as pulling out a knife, it seems to have been treated very leniently.

“My members of staff did their duty in a moment of great danger and followed entirely the correct procedure.

“This was an act of extreme bravery on their part in that they confronted a man who had a knife in his hand.

“Nevertheless this has had an effect on my staff.

"You are aware that this sort of thing can happen, but it’s still something that affects you.

“We just feel badly let down that this wasn’t dealt with more seriously.”