When put in a dangerous situation that could possibly cost you your life, it’s hard to imagine what you would actually do. Would you ignore your instincts in order to stay safe, or would you put your life on the line to save an innocent victim?
With a low crime rate, Calgary, a city in Alberta, Canada, is thought to be a safe place. But like every big city, bad things can happen. This story will look at four Canadian teens who followed their instincts, put their own lives on the line, and heroically stepped in to save a young girl of an atrocious crime.
1. Just Hanging Out
The four friends were just hanging out, doing what they love doing together – skateboarding. Arnaud, James, Starlyn, and Carsyn are long time friends. Goofing around and practicing tricks on their boards in an underground parking garage at the Chinook Mall was just a normal night time activity for these teens.
The guys had a good time and noticed it was getting late. Just as they were starting to make plans to go home, they couldn’t help but notice something strange. What happened next would change the course of their night and also the life of a young girl forever.
2. An Unlikely Couple
As the boys were packing up their skateboards, they noticed an unlikely pair. An obviously intoxicated girl was walking with two older men towards the parking garage they were skating in. As they got closer, they could see one of the men was well-dressed, and actually picked up the girl and carried her over his shoulder. The boys could see that the young woman was either drugged or very drunk, and appeared to be in distress.
What would this well dressed, older man be doing with such a young woman? Should they ignore it and let it go, or should they make sure this girl is safe? Luckily these boys were raised right.
3. Red Flags
The teens thought about ignoring the situation. Maybe the girl knew those older guys. Maybe it’s none of their business where the three of them are going, and what they’re up to. Maybe it’s best to avoid confrontation.
But as the minutes passed, the boys couldn’t shake some possible red flags that stood out to them as strange. “She was screaming and yelling” reported Carsyn Wright, “She just wanted to be out of there.” The girl clearly looked to be in distress, which was red flag number one. The second red flag? “The girl was all dirty, she was crying, her nose was bleeding,” remembered Carsyn.
With these observations, they could no longer simply ignore the situation. But would they be putting themselves in danger?
4. The Confrontation
Even though they were scared, the teens decided to confront the men. They questioned them on what was happening and if this girl was okay. The man’s explanation? He states that he’s her father and is bringing her home to sleep off the alcohol. At this point, the young men backed down.
Should they believe him? They don’t have much reason not to. The girl didn’t oppose what the man said. She didn’t scream for help. They’ve never even met this woman before, and for all they know, the man’s explanation could very well be true.
But something still didn’t feel right.
5. Following Their Instincts
The boys continued collecting their skateboards and packing up their things to head home. Their heads were telling them to stay out of it. They had no apparent reason or evidence that the man was lying or that the girl was in danger. But their hearts were pounding, palms were sweaty, and they had a feeling in the pit of their stomachs that something was wrong. Could they ever forgive themselves if something horrible happened to that young woman?
With every ounce of courage they could muster, the teens decided to follow their instincts and try to find this girl. Some time had passed, and they hoped they were not too late.
6. Out of Sight
Questions were racing through the boys’ minds: Would a father be so aggressive and rough with his daughter, throwing her over his shoulder like that? Why was she scraped up and dirty? The search began. The friends realized they could never forgive themselves if the worst happened. But were they too late?
They started checking the parking garage but the trio was nowhere to be seen. One of the boys spotted a stairwell door. Could they have taken her in there? What would they find behind that door? The feeling in their stomachs worsened as they heard screams, and knew what they had to do. What was behind that door would change their lives forever.
7. What the Boys Didn’t Know
The crazy thing about this story is that the boys had no idea that the man they were chasing was actually a known criminal and gang member – a very dangerous man. Officer Arthur Doner had been looking into this man for some time now, and received a tip that night about the man’s whereabouts.
Officer Doner was already patrolling the southwest Calgary area when he received the tip. With sirens on, the officer was on his way with the hopes of arresting this dangerous criminal. This arrest would be a huge win in keeping the community of southwest Calgary safe.
8. The Stairwell
They knew what they had to do. The boys busted open the stairwell door only to be confronted with a disturbing sight, worse than they could imagine.
The four teens were appalled to see the young woman being assaulted in an inhumane way. “He had her in a stairwell, bent over, and just, it was disgusting,” described Carsyn Wright.
For a split second, the boys froze. “You walk in, and you see something like that, and you freeze. You don’t know what to do.” But then, a surge of adrenaline and bravery followed. The teens stepped in and stopped the assault.
9. The Chase
The men were not surprisingly outraged that their repulsive plans were put to an end by a group of teenaged boys. The men decided to get out of there fast.
“He was trying to walk out and walk away from us,” Arnaud Nimenya remembered. “He pushed me aggressively out of the way, kinda like just gives me the smile, like, ‘I can do this. You can’t do anything about it.'”
The skateboarders were not about to let these creeps get away with their crime. One stayed behind with the very shaken victim. The others ran on foot to catch the attackers. The brutally attacked girl was only 15 years old.
10. Police Backup
Full of adrenaline, the three boys chased the men up the stairwell then out onto the street. The cruel image of that innocent young woman gave them the surge of bravery they needed to courageously pursue this heartless criminal.
What they didn’t know was that Officer Doner was in close proximity. When the officer saw the chase, he immediately called for backup. It wasn’t hard to spot the criminal, in fact, the perpetrator bumped into the side of Officer Doner’s car during the chase!
With help on the way, the police could only hope to put the perverted offender behind bars.
11. The Fight
The chase continued until the skateboarding teens finally caught up to the men. At this point, the criminals turned to fight. Even though it was three against two, the men were much bigger and dangerous than the young men. The boys couldn’t have known if the men had any weapons.
Thankfully, the men were not carrying any weapons, but this didn’t stop one of the men from grabbing a skateboard away from one of the boys and using it as one. Could the boys take on these gangsters? Or was this it? Just as the gangster was about to swing the board and inflict damage on the teens, something stopped him.
12. The Arrest
Unbeknownst to all involved, Calgary Police Service were in close proximity and ready to move in. The fight was getting heated as the criminal snatched one of the teen’s skateboards out of his hands, in order to use it as a weapon. Just as the skateboard was being used as a bat against the teens, police swooped in to both protect the boys and arrest the perpetrators.
Unfortunately, one of the accomplices got away, but Officer Doner was able to arrest the notorious gang member that he searched for so long. The girl was found safe and sound, thanks to her heroes on skateboards. Not only were police able to bring justice to a traumatized, 15 year old victim, many more crimes were prevented through this man’s arrest.
13. Phone Calls
Although the teens are obvious heroes, they didn’t consider themselves ones. In fact, when they saw the blue and red flashing lights of police cars, their instinct was to take off running. They thought they might be in trouble for trying to fight the thugs, and fled from police.
As the days went by, the skateboarders started to receive phone calls. Could it be the accomplice who got away? Or other gang members trying to get revenge? The boys became increasingly anxious and didn’t answer their phones for days.
“We always thought we were going to be in trouble, because we fought with him. When they called us, we didn’t wanna answer,” said Arnaud Nimenya.
14. Thanked for Exceptional Bravery
From left: Arnaud Nimenya, James Hielema, Starlyn Rivas-Perez, and Carsyn Wright
Their phones were ringing for days, and their anxiety was building. Were they in trouble for their actions? Finally one of the young men decided to answer one of the calls. To their surprise, it was the Calgary Police Service calling to thank the teens for their heroic actions.
The police department was so impressed by the teens, that they wanted to take it a step further. Carsyn, Arnaud, Starlyn, and James were invited by Chief Constable Roger Chaffin to the Chief’s Awards Gala to honor the boys publicly for their remarkable bravery.
15. Honored at the Gala
At the Chief’s Awards Gala, the brave young men were awarded by Chief Constable Chaffin with “The Award of Exceptional Recognition”. The boys have been overwhelmed as the community in Calgary has shown their gratitude and support. They are an outstanding example to their peers.
After hearing such a positive story, you can’t help but ask yourself what you would have done in a similar situation. These teens represent hope for this generation of young people. They have taught us to not ignore a situation that feels wrong, but to stand up for young women being victimized who can’t defend themselves. Well done, guys.
