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An Arizona man is being hailed a hero after he rushed to save the life of a woman who was being robbed and beaten in broad daylight right outside the restaurant where he works.
The man just happened to spot Daed White from inside the restaurant as she was being beaten mercilessly by a robber who asked to use her cell phone, KPHO reported.
“I couldn’t scream,” White said. “I couldn’t do anything.”
As White was being punched over and over, her head was hitting the asphalt in addition to taking the blows from the man’s fists, according to the Tempe Police Department. That’s when an employee who was bussing tables saw the violent crime taking place through the window and burst into action.
Doree Bentivenga, a manager a Crackers Café in Tempe, said the man rushed to the woman’s side, throwing a tray and a cup at the assailant. He stayed with the victim until the ambulance arrived.
“He was trying to stop him,” Bentivega said. “His main concern was her, just making sure she was safe and that she wasn’t getting continuously attacked.”
The attacker fled on foot, making off with White’s purse, police said. He is still on the lam.
The woman was taken to the hospital, where she was treated for her injuries. Police credited the man with stopping the severe beating from getting worse.
“I don’t know what human can just keep beating someone like that,” White said of the man who assaulted her.
Investigators are looking into the number the suspect dialed when he borrowed White’s cell phone, which they say could lead to a big break in the attempt to identify him.