What are you going to do if you notice that a stranger is in trouble? We all want to say that we would intervene, but the truth is that most people will mind their business and turn a blind eye. It is truly hard to know what you will do unless you find yourself in that position. Read on to see what these young men did when they came face to face with a very dangerous situation…
Just Another Day
Arnaud Nimenya, Starlyn Rives-Perez, James Hielema, and Carsyn Wright did not expect anything weird to happen that night. After all, it was not unusual for them to spend time together at the skate park. They met up at the underground parking garage to enjoy and practice. When it started to get dark, they decided to pack up and go home.
Just Another Day
Something Strange
But their plans changed when they saw a girl and two older men walk by. This group crossed their path to reach the parking garage. What caught their eye was how upset and disorderly the young woman seemed to be. They did not feel comforted by how rough one of her companions had been treating her.
Something Strange
Noticed
At first, the man had been walking behind this young woman. However, it looked like he decided to change their positions after seeing that they were not the only people in the area. While this was not exactly a red flag in and of itself, the girl did something that made the boys feel worried for her safety.
Noticed
Stop To Check
The boys were already getting ready to leave the underground parking garage, but something made them stop before they could do so. They decided that they needed to see if everything was all right and if there was a problem. But what exactly did they see that made them do such a thing in the first place?
Stop To Check
She Was Yelling
One of the teens explained, “She was screaming and yelling.” This piece of observation was supported by Carsyn Wright, who said, “She just wanted to be out of there.” When you see someone act like that, it is not hard to get suspicious. We would probably feel the same way if we were in their shoes.
She Was Yelling
They Were Intimidated
“The guy was dressed in very nice clothes… and the girl was all dirty, she was crying, her nose was bleeding,” explained Carsyn Wright. This was enough to raise suspicion. After noticing these things, the boys paid the group more attention. In the end, they went up to the men and asked what was going on.
They Were Intimidated
His Explanation
Even though there were four of them and only two of the men, the young men still felt intimidated. After all, they had no idea how the men were going to take the inquiry. If things got rough, the men were bigger and stronger than they were. According to the bigger man, the young girl was his daughter.
His Explanation
Had To Trust Them
When they heard this, the boys decided to back off. They wondered if he found her drinking or worse. What made them leave was the fact that she did not ask them for help nor deny what the man told them. This was the reason they decided that he was telling the truth. Was this the right thing to do?
Had To Trust Them
Easier Route
Night was starting to descend upon Calgary by then, which meant that the boys were packing up to leave. They already had their skateboards with them and decided to set aside their doubts. After all, the easiest path was to just trust what they were told. She did not disagree with what he had to say anyway.
Easier Route
Nighttime In Calgary
Despite this, they could not help but feel bothered by what they just saw. In general, Calgary is a safe place. Even so, bad things continue to happen every now and then. The group of teens did not want to assume that the men lied to their faces, but it was still hard to take their words at face value.
Nighttime In Calgary
Feeling Uneasy
It looked like the girl was drunk as well. This was what made the boys grow more uneasy when they gave it more thought. They started to wonder if they made the right call by leaving her with the two men when she was in such a state. But still, the guy who claimed to be her father acted so confidently…
Feeling Uneasy
Acting Suspicious
One might even describe the behavior that he was showing as arrogant. It did not feel like a real dad would act in such a way for any reason whatsoever. They then noticed something that went on to change their minds. There was no way that any father was going to do something like that to his child.
Acting Suspicious
Shocking Behavior
“She was all scuffed up and dirty,” explained Carsyn. As a matter of fact, it looked like the girl and the man were not getting along. You can just imagine how shocked the boys were when they saw him hoist the young woman over his shoulder. He was treating her like a sack of potatoes instead of a real human.
Shocking Behavior
They Had To Know
They also noticed that she was showing the men some resistance. This was what the teenagers agree to intervene in that situation. After all, they would not be able to forgive themselves if they did not step in and at least try to help. If nothing was wrong, then it should not be a problem and they’d be at peace.
They Had To Know
Something Sinister
When the boys thought about it some more, the more they felt convinced that they had to intervene. After all, they could not help but feel that the three people did not know each other at all. Besides that, it did not feel like they would be up to any good in the parking lot at that time of the day.
Something Sinister
Running To Help
It hit them then. There must be something horrible going on here. The boys then returned to the spot and hoped that they could still do something to help. They went as fast as they could! It did not matter to them as long as they could help out the girl. By the time they got there, they were all out of breath.
Running To Help
Not There
At first, the boys were not sure if they should do anything rash in that situation. They changed their minds when Wright said, “You don’t want to really think of the worst in somebody like that. You don’t want that situation to be real, so you just brush it off and hope for the best.” We are glad he said this!
Not There
On A Search
When they reached the parking lot, they could not see the two men nor the girl outside. This could only mean one thing. The boys had no doubts where they ended up going. It meant that they had to go in and see if the girl was okay! None of them knew that they would be on a rescue mission on that day.
On A Search
Underbelly
Even though they could tell that something was off, they had no idea what kind of mess they were getting into. It turned out that they were going right into the middle of something sinister as they went down the parking lot right below the Chinook Centre. You see, Calgary had a lot of dark secrets as well.
Underbelly
No Going Back
It was too late for them to back out of the situation. Even if they knew, the boys were not going to be scared off just like that. Apparently, this area had a big problem. The mall might look upmarket, but the truth is that there were plenty of terrible things going on behind the scenes.
No Going Back
The Underworld
There was an officer by the name of Arthur L. Doner who had been on the lookout for criminal activity in the area. Even though he did his best to look into the matter, he failed to find out more information about this aspect of Southwest Calgary. Gang dealings in the area started to feel like a myth to him.
The Underworld
To The Rescue
To the officer, it felt like he could take down one member but two more will take his place all of a sudden. Not once did Officer Doner expect for four young men to provide a breakthrough in such an important case. It turned out that the group of teenagers could help him sort things out!
To The Rescue
No Security
The teenagers maintained a slow pace as they explored the space below the Chinook Centre. For one thing, they knew that this place was not patrolled by security guards. They were aware of this fact since they had to check it earlier in the day. They had to scope the area in order to ride their skateboards.
No Security
They Knew The Secret Spot
The boys were aware that the parking lot is the place to be if you wanted to get up to some mischief. Unfortunately for them, it did not look like the men came down there to practice skateboard tricks like they did. It was important to act quickly yet sneakily if they wanted to help out the poor girl.
They Knew The Secret Spot
Looking For Something
The CCTV footage later showed that the two men went up and down the garage before the boys went back to the parking lot. Based on what they were doing, the pair of men had clearly been searching for something. As they poked around and looked for whatever it was, the girl did not leave their side.
Looking For Something
Stairwell Entrance
After some time, the two men finally found what they were looking for. It was not a thing but a place. They found the door that led down to a stairwell! The men opened it and brought the girl inside. As soon as they went through it, they shut the door behind them. We are sure that they were up to no good.
Stairwell Entrance
The Empty Stairwell
The boys entered the parking lot as quietly as their feet would let them. When they got there, they saw that the place was emptier than usual. When they still could not find the men and the girl, they tried to check behind the vehicles parked in the garage. However, this did not help them find anything.
The Empty Stairwell
Getting Real
It took them a few minutes of poking around before they spotted the stairwell. We are referring to the very same stairwell that the men entered not that long ago. By that point, the teens hoped that they would not find the men there. After all, this would mean that the whole situation would come to a boil.
Getting Real
What They Found
Arnaud rested his hand on the door handle and stayed still. Without using words, he tried to let his friends know that they had to get ready for anything. They had no idea what they would see there. After doing this, he pulled the door open. What the boys saw then and there sent all of them reeling in horror.
What They Found
Finding Them
They did not know what to expect, but they were shocked by the sight that greeted them. Before that, they thought that they already geared up for the worst of the worst. They were thinking about all the possibilities as they checked the parking garage for the men, after all. Despite this, they were in shock.
Finding Them
They Were Speechless
They made sure to check every nook and cranny of the garage. In the end, however, they discovered the men after they opened the door to the stairwell. We doubt that anything would have prepared them for that moment. What they saw rendered every single one of them speechless. Yes, it was that bad.
They Were Speechless
Shocking
It was dark down there, but there was enough light for the boys to make out the shapes of the two men. Even though their instinct told them to scamper off, the boys decided to intervene. After all, they could not possibly leave the girl on her own after they saw what was going on in the stairwell.
Shocking
Frozen
When they saw what the men were doing to the young woman, they felt frozen to their spots. They felt disgusted as well. One of the boys, Arnaud Nimenya, later explained that he “didn’t know what to do.” It was a good thing that they soon got over the shock and pulled the girl away from the horrible men.
Frozen
Time To Leave
They saw that the two men were angry at them for getting in the way. Even though they had noble intentions, the boys had no idea what they were up against. The taller guy immediately tried to extract himself from this situation. After this happened, the other man decided to do the exact same thing.
Time To Leave
Terrified
We are sure that this was terrifying for the four young men. Nimenya later recounted what took place after that. He said, “He pushed me aggressively out of the way, kinda like just gives me the smile…like, ‘I can do this. You can’t do anything about it.” However, there was no way they would let it go like that.
Terrified
Going After Them
Even though they were scared, they were not going to back off. They were going to fight if it had to come to that. When the two men tried to escape, three of the four boys followed them. One of them had to stay behind to keep the girl company as the others chased the evil men.
Going After Them
Chasing Criminals
The two men tried their best to escape the skateboarders, but they just could not outrun the three boys. Not only were the boys athletic and fit, but they were also determined to make the perpetrators pay for their horrid crimes. They eventually made it out of the parking garage and onto the streets of Calgary.
Chasing Criminals
Ready
It was a good thing that Officer Arthur Doner was there to help. He got a tip that his target was spotted with a cohort near the Chinook Centre. After hearing about this, the police officer went to that part of Calgary. He did not stop until he reached the big building that stood against the dark of the night.
Ready
Last Ditch Effort
He asked for backup, but it turned out that he could handle the entire situation on his own. In fact, he did not have to do much because the gang leader pretty much ran into him! The teens were still following the two men, but the boys were shocked when the two men turned around all of a sudden.
Last Ditch Effort
Police Were Waiting
The bigger of the two men started fighting them. He ripped one of the skateboards that the boys were holding. He used it to try and shoo the teenagers and even bludgeon them with it. Clearly, he was no longer thinking straight and was grasping at straws. This was a move that he made in desperation.
Police Were Waiting
The Authorities
This man tried his best, but it was not good enough. It did not help that Officer Doner knew what was going on and ready to assist the young boys. He stepped in before the boys could be harmed. He exited his car and tackled the perpetrator to the ground. We are glad to hear that it all worked out in the end.
The Authorities
Heading Home
Officer Doner could not believe how the tables have turned. He had been looking for this man for a long time already. At long last, he finally apprehended the man he had been trying to catch for so long. When the teens spotted the police car, they followed their gut and started to run. Where were they going?
Heading Home
Gang Leader
The boys wanted to go back to the parking lot as soon as they could. They wanted to check in on the poor girl, as well as their friend who stayed behind to look after her. We are sure that she was in a bad state after what she just went through. Back then, the boys had no idea they fought off a gang leader.
Gang Leader
Afraid
They made sure that she was all right before they decided to call it a day and return home. After this ordeal, however, they began to get calls from an unknown caller. It turned out that they had yet to see the end of this story. As you can guess, the calls did not make them feel relieved. Quite the opposite!
Afraid
Ongoing Calls
While they all got these phone calls, the boys were too scared to answer. They wondered if it was an accomplice who wanted to threaten them for what they did. On top of that, they had no idea how this person got their contact number. The calls kept coming, and they had to do something about it soon.
Ongoing Calls
Scared At First
The truth was far less sinister than what the boys had in mind. It turned out that Chief Constable Roger Chaffin had been trying to get in touch with them. He only wanted to thank them for their bravery. Back then, this idea did not even occur to the boys. The whole time, they thought it was from the bad guys.
Scared At First
Picking Up
In the end, one of them finally found the courage to pick up the call. The boys were surprised when they heard what the caller had to say! Even though this was not what they expected, the teenagers could not help but still feel a little terrified. But what exactly was making them feel that way after getting the call?
Picking Up
Surprising News
It turned out that they did not expect to be praised for their efforts. According to Nimenya, he was surprised to hear that they were not going to be punished for it. He said, “We always thought we were going to be in trouble because we fought with him. When they called us, we didn’t wanna answer.”
Surprising News
Looking For Him
They were also shocked to hear that they fought off a man who had a huge role in a local gang in the area. For a long time, the police had been trying to apprehend the same person. The FOB gang was notorious for its criminal dealings in this part of Calgary. After learning this, the boys felt more scared.
Looking For Him
Finally Caught
Who knows what fate the girl would have met if the boys did not notice and act upon their instincts? We are sure that things would have ended on a very different note otherwise. For months, the Calgary police had been trying to catch that month to no avail. Somehow, he always managed to evade them.
Finally Caught
Spilling The Details
After taking this gang member to custody, he revealed a lot of important information about his cohorts. As a matter of fact, he seemed ready to tell them everything that he knew from their addresses to their crimes. Officer Doner had been working on this case for a long time. He struck gold at long last!
Spilling The Details
They Did The Right Thing
After all of his efforts, he could finally find a way to solve the gang problem in Calgary. Of course, this would not have happened if the boys did not act in time. Mind you, this was not just about the safety of the girl. Thanks to what they did, the police could finally help the citizens feel more at ease.
They Did The Right Thing
Receiving Recognition
The four teens were invited to go to the Chief’s Award Gala. They were recognized by Chief Constable Roger Chaffin for their services and bravery to Calgary. If you ask them, they will tell you that they only did what anyone would do in a situation like that. We are not sure if this is true, but good on them!
Receiving Recognition
Calgary Chief’s Award Gala
The Chief’s Awards Gala is an event hosted by the Calgary Police Service. It happens once a year and is meant to honor the sworn and civilian members of the police service who showed great acts of courage and showed commitment to the community. The event also honors citizens who did the same thing.
Calgary Chief’s Award Gala
Safe Place
Chief Roger Chaffin of the Calgary Police had nice words to say about this. “Calgary is a safe place to live but it doesn’t happen by itself, it’s safe because of the people that live here and the nature of wanting to help and wanting to look out for each other and that’s really a nice comment for such a big city,” he said.
Safe Place
Courage
Would you have done the same thing that the boys did when they noticed that something was wrong? A lot of people would have just walked away and pretended that nothing was happening. No matter what you think, we hope that you find it in you to stand up and do the right things when it comes to that.
Courage
A Great Job
It is no secret that it takes a lot of effort and bravery to stand up to someone else. This is what makes the boys all the more admirable. They did not only stand up to an older and bigger man but two of those! We do not even want to imagine what would have happened to the girl if it were not for them.
A Great Job
Calgary Police Chief
During the gala, Calgary Police Chief Chaffin delivered a speech at the start of the evening. He went on to talk about how nice it was to honor Calgarians who went to great lengths for the community. “Nobody gets their day started thinking this is going to happen to them, that they’re going to be involved in one of these things,” he said.
Calgary Police Chief
Not Just
You must admire the boys for what they did. However, they are not the only people who did something like that for the sake of others. We are glad to hear that the others have received awards for their own acts of courage as well. The Award of Exceptional Recognition was given out to other people. Among others, Juan Dolph, John Eddy, Erin O’Connor, and Jasmine Simpson received the accolade as well.
Not Just
More Awards
Let us see how well the boys did for themselves. They were given an admirable award, but two more awards were given out to other outstanding citizens. The first one was the Award of Exceptional Recognition for Valour, while the other one was the Award of Exceptional Recognition for Life Saving. The latter was given to Lee Copeland and Paul Butler.
More Awards
Jasmine Simpson and Juan Dolph
You must be curious about the story behind the other awards as well. After all, this is a great honor to receive, so they must have done something incredible. Jasmine and Juan decided to intervene when they witnessed a terrible situation taking place. While at a parking lot, the pair witnessed a man yelling at a woman and then hitting her across the face. She was apparently his ex-wife. He then grabbed her by the throat and pinned her down in the car while the children were screaming from the rear seat. The pair did not hesitate to come over and stop him from hurting her again. They stayed with her until the police got there.
Jasmine Simpson And Juan Dolph
John Eddy
There is also John Eddy, who is a modern-day hero as well. His story starts when he noticed how weirdly one car on the road was behaving. It did not move when the lights changed to green right away. On top of that, it crashed into a curb sign when it finally started to move. Concerned, John got out of his car to see what was going on. It turned out that the driver suffered a heart attack. Luckily, John gave him CPR.
John Eddy
Erin O’Connor
Erin O’Connor was awarded for her bravery as well. It all started when she saw a fight erupt while she was in a parking lot. One of the people ended up seriously wounding the other party. After seeing this, she chased off the attacker and helped out the wounded man until the ambulance arrived at the scene.
Erin O’Connor
Paris Hazelwanter
Up next, we have a different Chief’s Awards recipient: Pariz Hazelwanter. She lived through a drive-by shooting. Right away, she wanted to check in on the woman riding the car that was hit the worst by the attack. She went up to the car, dodged bullets, and asked bystanders to help. In the end, they worked together to get the driver out of the car. She stayed by the injured woman until EMT arrived.
Paris Hazelwanter
Daxton Novak and Derek Wideman
Daxton Novak and Derek Wideman were both informed about what was happening at the apartment located above theirs. There was a hysterical woman going through drug-induced psychosis at the sixth-floor balcony. While she was at it, she went over the rails of the balcony to evade the cops. From below her, the pair of men told her to climb down and go to their apartment. They grabbed her legs to make it easier for her. As soon as the police got there, she dove for the balcony once more. It was a good thing that Derek and Daxton held onto her in time and kept her safe until the arrival of the paramedics.
Daxton Novak And Derek Wideman
Jessica Johnson
Can you believe that Jessica Johnson risked her life so that she can help out a suicidal person? This must have taken a lot of bravery! While taking a bike ride, she witnessed a man go up the far side of the bridge railing. Right away, she stopped, spoke to the man, and convinced him not to jump. She kept him company until the arrival of emergency crews.
Jessica Johnson
Sonia Hafeez Yousaf
Even though she was only ten years old, Sonia Hafeez Yousaf was given the award of well. She had been home when her mom’s old business associate dropped by the house. This person spoke to her mother before viciously assaulting the poor woman! It was a good thing that Sonia could get out and ask the neighbor for help! This was how the police were informed of what was going on. The cops got there and arrested the attacker. Even though the mom was brought to the hospital, she eventually recovered.
Sonia Hafeez Yousaf
Shirley Thiessen
Another person who received the award is Shirley Thiessen. She was awarded for working on the death notification course of the Calgary Police Service. Her work has allowed the local police officers to learn how to deliver devastating news to the loved ones of victims. In 2012, she and her husband found out that Jordan, their son, died in a workplace accident. The local police had been the one to let them know about the bad news, but the cop did such a bad job of it that it made the situation even worse.
Shirley Thiessen
Constable Patty Desormeau
Patty Desormeau also received the honorable award after she worked on creating a vulnerable person’s self-registry for the Calgary Police. As part of the CPS Diversity Resources Unit, she was inspired to create something like this after hearing about the Ontario autism registry created by police officers in Ottawa. It was created so that parents and caregivers of this sector of the population would feel more at ease. This way, the police would know who to get in touch with should an emergency ever happen.
Constable Patty Desormeau
Nestor Aravena Bonastre
During the Chief’s Awards Gala, Nestor brought home an award as well. He saw a teenager resting on the edge of the bridge and dangling her legs over the ledge. She told him that she wanted to claim her life, but he convinced her not to go ahead with it. A cop said, “As he got closer, she went over the ledge and hung by her hands. Nestor made a split-second decision and grabbed hold of her arms to stop her falling”. Not only that, but they went on to say, “Nestor hung there, leaning over the bridge, holding the girl for more than three minutes in 35-degree temperatures before police arrived. An officer arrived, leaned over the edge and grabbed hold of the girl’s leg to pull both her and Nestor back to a safe location.”
Nestor Aravena Bonastre