Man harasses woman, attacks Good Samaritan at San Carlos Caltrain station
Attack at Caltrain station caught on video
An attack at the San Carlos Caltrain station was caught on video. This happened when a man harassed a woman and then attacked a witness who stepped in to help. The woman calls the good Samaritan her hero.
SAN CARLOS, Calif. - The search continued Wednesday for a man caught on video harassing a woman at the San Carlos Caltrain station and attacking a Good Samaritan who came to her aid.
Incident on Caltrain platform captured on video
What we know:
On Dec. 23, a man carrying a long board on the station platform verbally harassed a woman before turning his attention to Frankie Pagmanua, 34, of Daly City, who was also waiting for a train two days before Christmas.
"He was kind of like towering over me, kept repeating the question ‘What are you going to do about it?’ Pagmanua told KTVU.
The much taller assailant continued to challenge Pagmanua.
"Bro, back up. Back up," Pagmanua tells the man.
The two men face off on the platform.
"Chill," Pagmanua told the man.
"You don't know me fool," the man responds.
"You don't know me, Pagmanua replies. "You ran up to me."
And then, the two come to blows. The assailant punches Pagmanua repeatedly in the face as the woman screams, "Call the police! Call the police! 911, call the police! Please help us! Call the police please!"
She told another bystander, "That guy trying to kill the guy."
Pagmanua said, "All of a sudden, like my face starts to get really, really warm, and I next feel something kind of just run down my face and then, all of a sudden, I start coughing up blood."
Pagmanua suffered facial fractures and was taken to a hospital.
"If I'm being honest with myself, I'm still shaken up by this situation," he said.
Woman says Good Samaritan is her hero
What they're saying:
The woman initially targeted by the assailant, who did not want to be identified, said of Pagmanua, "I like to thank him as a hero. I would like to thank Frankie, because actually I was crying when I saw him. He was bleeding. I was shaking too. It's very traumatic because you know, he saved my life."
Pagmanua said, "I wish I could have done more in that situation. She wasn't harmed. She wasn't physically harmed, you know, that was my main concern."
The attacker left after realizing witnesses had called 911.
The San Mateo County sheriff's office, which patrols Caltrain, said investigators are working extensively behind the scenes to find the suspect.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on X @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
The Source: KTVU reporting, San Mateo County sheriff's office
