Police officers are calling a 13-year-old boy “very brave” after he reportedly jumped into action to save his mother’s life during a horrific attack she sustained on Friday.
It all started around 2:43 a.m. when suspect Anthony Maurice Whitlock allegedly burst into an apartment in Battle Creek, Michigan, and started attacking a 35-year-old woman with a 3-foot sword.
The chaos broke out while her three children slept nearby, WXMI-TV reported. According to media, Whitlock was the woman’s former boyfriend and is the father of the her three kids, including the 13-year-old boy.
The man allegedly stabbed the woman in her arms and legs in what police have since described as a “pretty gruesome attack,” while the teen jumped in to try and stop the assault; some accounts note that the teen might have grabbed a knife of his own.
Considering the gravity of what was happening, his act was quite brave.
“The 13-year-old jumped on the man and was able to get them separated to where the mom started to be able to get away,” Det. Sgt. Todd Elliott told WXMI. “However, then the man went after her again.”
That’s when the teen grabbed the phone and called 911 to report what was happening; the suspect then fled.
Now, cops are praising the boy’s quick-thinking actions amid an unthinkable scenario.
“We give a lot of credit to the 13-year-old,” Elliott added. “That was a very brave thing that he did, not just being able to call 911 but to try and intervene and stop this guy from attacking his mom.”
Whitlock was arrested and charged with home invasion and assault with intent to murder.
The woman remains in critical condition from her wounds. She suffered some pretty severe injuries, with WZZM-TV reporting that her severed thumb and index finger were found on the flood of the apartment.
No motive has been made public, though there is speculation that the incident involved custody issues.