Shocking moment California Highway Patrol officer on a motorbike is knocked to the ground and pummeled by thug on the side of busy freeway offramp before three Good Samaritans come to his rescue
- A California Highway Patrol officer was seen being pummeled by a pedestrian last Friday, before three bystanders took action and came to his rescue
- The brutal beating was captured on a cellphone at the Main Street northbound entrance to the 5 Freeway in Santa Ana at about 5pm
- Jaime Paniagua, 33, was taken into custody. He faces multiple charges including assault and battery on a peace officer and resisting arrest
Three Good Samaritans rushed to the rescue of a California Highway Patrol officer who was being brutally beaten by a pedestrian on the side of a busy freeway.
The moment was captured by a bystander on their cellphone at the Main Street northbound entrance to the 5 Freeway in Santa Ana at about 5pm on Friday last week.
The CHP officer had been called to the area after receiving reports of a man yelling at drivers and trying to take down a freeway sign.
He was planning on letting the man go with a warning when the pedestrian viciously attacked him, threw him to the ground and began to pummel him.
Three men are seen running to the rescue of the officer, including Everardo Navarro, who feared the attacker was about to grab the officer’s gun and start shooting.
Shocking video captured the moment three Good Samaritans jumped out of their vehicles to help a California Highway Patrol officer who was being attacked on the side of a busy freeway onramp
Everardo Navarro, who was one of the three men who rushed to fight off the attacker, told KTLA: ‘I would do that for anybody any time.’
‘Since I see the officer down, I was concerned about the guy grabbing the officer’s gun and shooting the officer,’ Navarro said.
‘That was my biggest concern and possibly doing the same to me. So, in that moment, I didn’t have any other choice.
‘We’re all human beings. I would do that for anybody any time.’
Footage of the brawl shows the CHP officer walking towards his motorcycle when the deranged pedestrian, without warning, attempts to tackle him to the ground.
The officer and the man are seen struggling before the pedestrian flips the officer onto the ground and starts beating him with his fists.
CHP Officer Anselmo Templado told KTLA that the situation could have spiraled out of control had three men not run to the CHP officer’s rescue to rip the thug off him.
‘Many of these situations, they end up becoming dangerous at a moment’s notice,’ said Templado.
The attacker can be seen knocking the officer to the ground by the 5 Freeway in Santa Ana on Friday before the three heroes came to the officer’s aid
Anselmo Templado thanked the Good Samaritans for jumping in the rescue his fellow officer
Templado said it’s unusual to see people running to help law enforcement and was grateful to the men for doing so.
‘It’s not very often that you see something like that. Usually, it’s just people recording and standing by, but I just want to thank those three Good Samaritans for helping our officer,’ he said.
‘It could’ve ended very badly, but luckily for them no one was seriously injured, and we got the subject under control.’
The suspect, now identified as 33-year-old Santa Ana resident Jaime Paniagua, was taken into custody.
He faces multiple charges including assault and battery on a peace officer and resisting arrest. The CHP officer was taken to hospital and released without serious injuries.
