Man commended for stopping attack on two women at park
By Ron Edens
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NORTH AUBURN, California (KCRA) — A man who intervened during an assault on two women at Chana Park in North Auburn was recognized for his bravery by Placer County supervisors.
Supervisors gave Richard Hunt a standing ovation after issuing a commendation for his actions. On May 23, Hunt saw a man attacking a woman and her elderly mother in front of the woman’s child. Hunt ran over, stopped the attacker, and held him until deputies arrived.
The woman involved in the incident expressed her gratitude during the recognition ceremony.
“In the middle of this unimaginable situation, one person made the decision to step in and help complete strangers,” she said, pausing emotionally. “He placed himself in harm’s way to stop this attack and to protect us. Because of that courage, my mother, my son, and I were given the chance to make it home to our families.”
Supervisor Cindy Gustafson praised Hunt’s actions.
“We hear so much bad news in the world, and to hear true heroism… Nobody forced you to do that, you didn’t have training to do that, you just stepped in and did it,” Gustafson said. “And I just thank you on behalf of all of us.”
Hunt reflected on the incident, emphasizing the safety of the community despite isolated events.
“Most of our community is safe, you know, and there’s just these crazy outliers,” Hunt said. “I saw a lot of stuff on Facebook saying, ‘Hey, that park is dangerous,’ and we go there all the time—it’s not, right? It’s just the outliers. And as long as we are a community of one, help each other out, it’s a safe place to be, right?”
The suspect, 49-year-old Michael Appleberry, faces four felony charges and two misdemeanors in connection to the attack.
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