DA Honors Six as 'Courageous Citizens'

By City News Service

A man who stopped an attacker armed with a knife was among a half-dozen people honored today as “courageous citizens” by Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.

Muhammad Johnson, 36, jumped in to rescue an 18-year-old Long Beach neighbor who was being stabbed on Oct. 29, 2011, according to the District Attorney's Office. Johnson, who now lives in Torrance, was honored at a luncheon aboard the Queen Mary.

Also honored were:

• Jonathan Campos, 30, of Long Beach; Jason Curiel, 21, of Huntington Park; and Marcelo Vera, 35, of Montclair, who chased and subdued two assailants who snatched a gold chain from a woman holding a baby; and
• Scott Beaubien, 47, of Long Beach, and Mariano Bejarano, 33, of Los Angeles, for detaining a purse-snatcher after he dragged his victim across a parking lot as she held on to her bag.