NODA- A Harrisburg man is grateful after a stranger stepped in to save him as he was being assaulted. It happened at the Parkwood light rail stop Monday afternoon. The man asked WCCB to hide his identity for safety.
“I take the same train, almost like last 4 or 5 years,” said the man, “so it never happened to me.”
The man tells WCCB’s Emma Mondo he was on the train heading home from work, when the man behind him snatched his cell phone out of his hands and ran off the train. The man chased him.
“I was able to got hold of him like almost end of the platform, then I jumped on him. We both fell on the ground.”
This is when Michael Zytkow saw what was happening from across the street. While everyone else stood and watched Zytkow jumped into action.
“I immediately called 911 and made my way across over to the area here where the two men had both fell to the ground,” said Zytkow.
Zytkow says he tried to plead with the robber to get off the man, but it wasn’t working.
“As soon as I saw him start to wail on the guy, that’s when he caught the Holy Ghost, and I threw a punch,” Zytkow said, “and thank God it landed perfectly.”
Zytkow was able to get the attacker in a headlock, where he held him until police arrived.
The accused robber is 27 year old Darius Gillard. He has a criminal record dating back to 2013. He was last released from jail in 2019 after serving about two years for robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Mondo asked the victim why he ran after Gillard.
“Cops were saying that he did this for many other people,” he said. “So somebody has to take a step. Somebody has to try to stop it.”