Rosemary Carlton, a 76-year-old woman faced the worst shock of her life as she went to a local store to do some shopping.
As she was walking through a parking lot of the local Winn-Dixie store in Florida, Rosemary was attacked by a thug. Out of the blue, the elderly lady felt herself being forced to the ground.
She was very frightened and feared for her dear life. The poor old lady clearly knew she couldn’t fight off the attacker, given her age. She could not in her wildest imagination ever predict the events that unfolded after the attack.
Rosemary was leaving the store when she was suddenly attacked right by her car. The assailant was targeting her purse. What’s even more shocking is that the 23-year-old man was shamelessness trying to snatch her purse in broad daylight and even dared to get physical with the helpless elderly woman.
Rosemary decided to use the only weapon she had at that time – her voice. She began screaming as the young man wrestled her purse away from her. He tried covering her mouth and pushing her into her car while she clutched the seat belt.
Kendrick Taylor, 24, a college student at Full Sail University at the time, was headed to the gym located in that same strip mall and happened to be at the right place at just the right time. Kendrick is not someone you want to confront. At first glance, Kendrick is a tough guy, he is a Navy veteran.
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While as a guest on The Ellen Show, Kendrick revealed that he actually had his headphones on, but felt uneasy, his instincts alerted him that something was wrong, so he took off his headphones and checked his surroundings. Kendrick told WESH-TV that he then heard the woman screaming and saw the thief assaulting her.
Kendrick told reporters he didn’t think twice about helping the woman. It was like a reflex action, he knew by all means that he had to help her, no matter what happened. He quickly sprinted over to the scene, targeting the assailant.
“She was screaming for help. That’s when I went over to help her. When I looked down, I didn’t know if he had a knife or gun, but I just saw the lady … When he threw her down, she was so fragile, I knew she needed help.” he narrated.
What a selfless and kind young man! He did not have even one second to think about himself or his safety, he only had one mission – to save the old woman. Then as the assailant took off on foot trying to flee the scene of the crime, Kendrick chased after him, threw him on the ground and held him there until the police arrived. Other people in the parking lot had stepped up already to help at this point and had called 911.
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Afterward, Kendrick shrugged off his good deed while being interviewed by WESH-TV as just something he hoped anyone else would do if they were in his position. He told The Ellen Show that once the police appeared and his help was no longer needed, he called his mom, Marion, who he described as his best friend.
His mom, who lives in Chicago, told him he was a hero. “What if that was my Grandma? He definitely needed to face some jail time. He has to know what he did was very wrong.” He also told The Ellen Show that the police retrieved him from the gym so that Rosemary could meet him. She wanted to see in person the young man who had come to her rescue.
The senior citizen thanked him for rescuing her and expressed her gratitude. He kissed her on the cheek and told her he was glad she would be okay.
According to police reports, the suspect was already on probation at the time of the assault and theft. He was charged with both robbery and attempted battery on a person age 65 or older.
Fortunately, the elderly woman got her purse back, but she still suffered cuts and bruises.point 177 | Her family said she was severely traumatized by the assault.point 228 |
Nevertheless, they were very thankful for Kendrick who came to their loved one’s rescue and the other people who helped.point 103 | Not only did Kendrick walk away feeling good about helping the senior citizen, but he also was very modest when he received the Medal of Merit from the Orland Orange County Sheriff’s Office for his swift actions in saving a victim of a personal crime.point 316 | 1
Kendrick and his mom, Marion, while appearing on The Ellen Show, also received a $10,000 reward and other surprises from Ellen DeGeneres. What an amazing turn of events! Indeed good hearted people still exist.
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