Three Marine Corps recruiters in Lynnwood, Washington, thwarted a robbery Tuesday, saving an elderly woman as she was being attacked by two thugs.
At around 5:00 p.m. the men heard strange noise outside their offices.
“We thought there was road rage involved or a fight broke loose,” Sgt. Riccardo Schebesta told local news affiliate kirotv.com.
They noticed a woman yelling for help, and immediately took action.
“She said, ‘Help me I’m being robbed.’ I stopped paying attention to her. She’s not the problem,” said Staff Sgt. Ben Shoemaker.
The thugs took off running, but the Marines weren’t about to let them get away.
“No — that kid was never going to outrun me,” Shoemaker added. “Marines run towards the sound of chaos.”
Shoemaker caught one of the suspects, later identified as 18-year-old Diego Tavares, and put him in an arm bar.
“An arm bar keeps in on his feet, but keeps him compliant,” said Shoemaker.
“As Staff Sgt. Shoemaker detained the first guy, I got on the phone with 911. At the time there were no police officers on the scene,” added Staff Sgt. Bryson Twigg.
The other suspect managed to get away. When police arrived on the scene they arrested Tavares. They are still looking for Tavares’ partner in crime.
Meanwhile, as for why the Marines did what they did, Schebesta said, “It’s what we do. From the beginning what we’re taught in boot camp — it’s a part of us.”