Marine rescues man from attack while crowd just watched

Marine rescues man from attack
March 20, 2012 12:08 PM

By Marine Corps Cpl. Lucas Vega - Marine Forces Reserve

LANCASTER, Calif. — Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joshua Escandon was going to lunch here with his wife Feb. 26 when his instincts kicked in because he heard a woman screaming for help.

He stepped out of his car and immediately knew something was not quite right. He scanned his surroundings and spotted a commotion involving a group of people.

When Escandon heard a woman yelling, “They are going to kill him! Help him!” he knew he had to take action.

The radio operator with 3rd Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison Company ran toward the crowd, where he was blocked by onlookers from what appeared to be a fight.

“Everyone was watching, but nobody was helping,” said Escandon, who returned from a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan in December. “Like Marines look out for each other in combat, we have to protect our fellow man too and stop letting stuff like this happen, or it will just happen more.”

As he wove his way through the crowd, Escandon saw a man being kicked and punched by two others.

One of the men was holding what appeared to be a sword, Escandon said. He later learned from the Lancaster Sheriff’s Department that the two men were gang-affiliated, and that their weapon was a cane-sword -- a cane that incorporates a concealed blade.
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