A heroic customer jumped into action Sunday after seeing a woman getting stabbed while having coffee in a California Starbucks.
The Bakersfield Police Department said that what began as an argument quickly escalated into a full-blown incident of domestic violence-related assault. As a man began to stab the victim repeatedly, 27-year-old Blaine Hodge decided to jump in and help.
Witnesses recalled how the frenzied attacker then slashed at Hodge with a machete, striking him several times and inflicting serious injuries. Friends noted that because of Hodge’s heroic actions, the attack was delayed and the woman’s life was saved.
“Something happened in Starbucks today,” Hodge told KETK-TV from his hospital bed. “There was a person in danger and I couldn’t just let her die. So, here I am.”
Blaine’s friend, Joe Harris, explained more about what happened:
“She was panicked. She was saying, ‘Help me.’ Then, at one point, she said, ‘This guy’s going to kill me,'” Harris told the news station.
But Hodge wasn’t going to let that happen.
“Everyone else was running away, and he was the first person to run straight to the action. I’m sure he saw the machete before anyone else did, but he didn’t care — he wasn’t going to let this girl die,” Harris said.
“He would do it again,” another friend added. “He could lose an arm and he would still do it again. That’s just Blaine.”
After attempting to flee, the suspect was eventually apprehended by law enforcement. Unsurprisingly, he has a history of domestic violence.
Blaine’s sister, Faheemah, posted an update on her brother’s condition Monday. Such were the extent of his injuries that he reportedly required some “two hundred stitches.”
“It has been a long painful day, but it has also been a day of joy, laughter and resilience. Anyone who knows Blaine Hodge knows that he is always smiling, and that’s exactly what he did today,” she wrote. “We waited at the hospital with him from around noon to midnight and he was more concerned with us being sad than he was about getting close to two hundred stitches.”
“To me he was a superhero that day,” one witness told KERO-TV. “I don’t think anyone could take that away from him today. He’s the star of the day; he helped a woman survive.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with Hodge’s medical expenses. So far, almost $15,000 has been raised.
The page’s description reads:
“Blaine Hodge is a hero.
While at Starbucks for a business meeting on 9/9/2018, he witnessed what was to be a gruesome murder and threw himself between a woman and her machete-wielding attacker. In doing so, he saved her life and suffered numerous wounds in the process, possibly losing use of his right hand. He has a long road of recovery ahead of him, 6+ weeks, and now needs his own hero: you. Please donate if you can, or share to raise awareness of this model man who ran towards the danger, risking it all to save a life.”
Blaine is also a musician, known by his artist name, “Static.” He is set to release his album “Mind of a Hero,” later this month.
Please pray for Hodge as he continues to recover from his injuries.