A Sacramento man bravely fended off and beat down a knife-wielding attacker using a plastic candy cane lawn ornament.

The drunken attacker was identified as Donald Kercell, 49.

Police said Kercell approached a neighbor's house on Thanksgiving Day armed with a knife and started threatening a group of guests who were mingling on the front lawn.

The attacker cut some of the guest's clothing when one of the guests took up the plastic candy cane to ward off the attacker and prevented him from doing more harm, until the police arrived.

Kercell was arrested and was sent to the Sacramento County Main Jail and facing possible charges of assault with a deadly weapon.

But the guest who used the candy cane against the suspect will not be charged as the police determined him to have acted in self-defense.