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Long Beach ARC truck drivers apprehend a purse snatcher.
By Selavi Maria
Salvation Army employees took action when a thief attacked Sinh Ngo, knocking her to the ground in a battle for her purse. Several witnesses looked on, but Scott Beaubien and Mariano Bejarano, both truck drivers for the Long Beach (Calif.) Adult Rehabilitation Center, helped police capture the attacker, who now faces felony charges.
Beaubien was training Bejarano, a new driver, near a donation drop-off location in Long Beach when they heard screams and saw a man running down the street carrying a purse.
“I put on my air brakes and hopped out of my truck and gave chase,” Beaubien said. “It was just a split-second decision.” Fortunately, his new co- co-worker followed right behind him and helped Beaubien contain the robber until the police arrived.
Beaubien and Bejarano comforted Ngo, who they learned was recovering from a mastectomy done just a week earlier. Later that evening, her husband called Beaubien, thanking the drivers for their bravery and saying his wife was doing well and that the family would pray for Beaubien and Bejarano at their home church.
Displaying courage in a dangerous situation, these two men represented The Salvation Army, doing the most good by helping a woman in distress.
