Average Folks Honored for Risking Their Lives to Stop Rapes, Kidnapping and a Murder

While headlines about bizarre car chases, serial killer trials, Ponzi schemes and sexual predators dominate the news, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that there are also heros walking the streets of LA, willing to stick their necks out to protect others.

This week, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey today honored two women and three men who risked their own safety to help others. One woman, a nurse, stopped a man from stabbing to death a colleague.

In another case, three men stopped a sexual assault.

And one woman interrupted the kidnapping of a little girl, tracking down for police a man who tried to kidnap and rape a child.

"The people we honor today showed great compassion. They took bold steps to help others whose lives were in danger," District Attorney Lacey said. "Because of their bravery, crime victims were spared additional trauma and the criminals in these cases have been punished."

Here are their stories, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office:

WOMAN STOPS MAN FROM KIDNAPPING AND RAPING GIRL

Luz Maria Torres, 51, of Ontario: Ms. Torres was driving on Sierra Highway in Newhall on Nov. 12, 2014, and saw a man talking to a 13-year-old girl. Ms. Torres sensed that the girl did not want to be with the man. Ms. Torres saw the defendant grab the child by the arm and pull her toward him. Ms. Torres honked her horn to get the man to stop. The victim pulled her arm away, and Ms. Torres told the girl to run away. Ms. Torres called 911 and followed the man until deputies arrived and took him into custody. The defendant pleaded no contest to a count of attempted kidnapping to commit rape. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

NURSE STOPS ATTEMPTED MURDER

Rochelle Floyd, 52, of Chino Hills: A man who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia went to Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar on Easter Sunday 2014 and made several attempts to persuade someone to shoot and kill him. He called 911 and reported he had a gun and planned to shoot people. Police confronted him and learned he had a knife. The man entered the hospital, grabbed a 61-year-old nurse and stabbed her multiple times. Ms. Floyd, a supervising nurse, sounded emergency alarms and found the assailant on top of the woman. Ms. Floyd saved her colleague by grabbing the hood of the man's jacket and dragging him off the nurse. Officers subdued him. The defendant pleaded no contest to attempted murder and was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison.

MEN BREAK-UP SEXUAL ASSAULT

Scott Angel Aquino, 26, of Beaumont; Richard Mason Jr., 26, of Ontario; and Eddie Harris of Alhambr: On March 3, 2015, an Alhambra woman was walking to her residence when she was approached by a man. He questioned her about the time, who she lived with and other things. She tried to get him to leave her alone, but he grabbed her and spun her to the ground. She struggled with the man. Mr. Aquino, Mr. Mason and Mr. Harris heard the woman's screams and responded. They found her being attacked, grabbed the man, engaged in a brief struggle, subdued him and saved the woman. The men detained the assailant until police arrived. The defendant pleaded no contest to felony assault with intent to commit a sex crime. He was sentenced to six years in state prison and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Front row, left to right: Honorees Eddie Harris, Richard Mason Jr., and Scott Angel Aquino

Back row, left to right: Honoree Luz Maria Torres, District Attorney Jackie Lacey, Honoree Rochelle Floyd

Photo credit: Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office