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Vallejo mom intervenes in stabbing attack, has car stolen by suspect
A Vallejo woman is being hailed as a hero after she stopped a stabbing attack, wrestled the suspect off the victim, and had her car stolen in the process.
VALLEJO, Calif. - A Vallejo woman is being praised for her bravery after she intervened in a violent stabbing attack. But her courageous act came at a cost: the suspect stole her car as he fled the scene.
Amanda Williams, a single mother, was on her way to get coffee before starting a DoorDash shift when she came across a horrifying scene on Miller Avenue near Georgia Street, just after 9 a.m. on August 11.
She saw a man on the ground, bleeding and pleading for help, as another man stood over him holding two knives.
"I noticed he had knives in his hand, so then I started to get worried," she said. "I started yelling, ‘Hey, I’m going to call the police,’ and he had yelled at me, he said, ‘Hey, get out of here.’"
"He went back to go and stab the guy in the head, and that’s when I automatically just jumped out of the car and ran over and grabbed his arm."
'I couldn’t imagine watching someone die'
With no formal training, Williams said she wrestled the knives from the man’s hands.
"I realized I was going to get hurt if I didn’t get away from him, so as hard as I can I had one hand on each side of his, just holding the knives, and I twisted them towards his finger and twisted my body and ran," she said.
The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Henry Johnson, then jumped into her car and drove off with the driver’s side door still open. Police say he led officers on a short chase before being arrested.
Williams said she only had one thing on her mind - saving a life.
"The only time I think I was afraid was when he was on top of me," she said. "I couldn’t imagine just sitting there watching someone die knowing that I could do something."
A neighbor named Sherrie watched the attack and the rescue from across the street and called 911.
"I think it was amazing. Not too many people would have done that," Sherrie said. "I was right here. I couldn’t go over there and do it. It was really scary. She’s a hero if you ask me. She did save a life."
Williams said she hasn’t been able to return to her regular job due to ongoing medical issues. DoorDash was only a source of supplemental income, but now, her car is too damaged to drive.
She has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover expenses.
Williams never had the chance to speak to the man she saved that morning. But if she could:
"I hope you’re doing okay," she said tearfully.
Vallejo police said the suspect is in custody and is being held without bail. He faces several charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, making criminal threats, vehicle theft, and evading police.
2 men killed in Vallejo double shooting
The shooting was reported around 9:32 p.m. in the 300 block of Amelia Street, where officers found both victims suffering from gunshot wounds, according to the Vallejo Police Department.