Williams Lake RCMP are crediting the quick actions of a Good Samaritan with saving a young woman from a vicious domestic assault downtown early Friday morning.
Staff Sgt. Del Byron said the incident took place at about 5:30 a.m. when Matt Neufeld, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake, happened to be driving down Oliver Street toward the Station House Gallery and witnessed the attack and intervened in the dispute by honking his horn, yelling and remaining on scene.
“We are very appreciative of his initiative to get involved in this violent assault,” said Byron. “The victim was very vulnerable.”
Neufeld said he saw the woman, believed to be in her twenties, run onto the street from a back alley with a man chasing her and trying to grab her and her purse.
Neufeld yelled and honked his horn to try to distract the man during the initial assault, but had to pull ahead and do a u-turn to face the two when both tried to get into his vehicle.
At that point, Neufeld said, the man grabbed the woman, threw her to the ground and started punching her several times in the face.
Neufeld continued to honk his horn in front of the attack, screaming and yelling out his window that the police were coming, until the man finally stopped and left the scene.
He said the woman got into his vehicle and he transported her to hospital with multiple face injuries and choke marks around her neck.
“It’s pretty sad. I felt bad for her,” Neufeld said. “She was very thankful and hugged me when I left the hospital.”
Neufeld said at least two vehicles drove around the scene while he was trying to help the woman, not stopping to help.
Byron said the police did receive more than one call reporting the incident, however, he wishes more people would be willing to get involved like Neufeld did.
“It’s disappointing when something like this happens and people just drive by,” Byron said. “Of course, we wouldn’t recommend someone get out of their vehicle but having more people stay on scene until police arrive like Mr. Neufeld did would be helpful.”
Neufeld, who is trained in these types of scenarios for his work, was glad to help and believes others don’t stop because they either don’t know what to do, are afraid or both.
He would like to see the city host some public workshops on how residents can safely intervene in a crisis.
“If other people would have stopped (during Friday’s attack), then maybe we could have helped her before she got hurt,” he said.
“More and more things are happening and I think people just don’t know what to do.”
Byron said the suspect involved in the attack was believed to be the woman’s boyfriend, who the police are looking for.
The two were visiting the lakecity from Prince Rupert.