Three men are being hailed as heroes after police said they intervened in a domestic assault at a Wal-Mart in Woodland.
A woman was assaulted by her boyfriend at the Woodland Wal-Mart, 1486 Dike Access Road, about 5 p.m. Thursday, and three men who witnessed the event stepped in and detained the man, the Woodland Police Department reported.
Officers arrived and arrested 33-year-old Owen Castonguay of Woodland on suspicion of fourth-degree domestic violence assault.
“The Good Samaritans very likely prevented serious injury to the woman,” Woodland police said in a press release.
Police identified the three local men who helped as Shaen Ross, 37, of La Center, Brandon Webb, 43, of Ariel, and Sean Lawley, 36, of Woodland.
Webb had gotten off work and stopped at the store to do some shopping; he needed to pick up cat litter and a few other things.
“I was thinking it was beer-thirty so I picked up some beer,” he said. “It got a little more exciting than a normal day getting off work.”
As he pushed his cart out of the store, he said, he was alerted to a couple on the sidewalk when he heard the man yelling vulgarities at the woman.
“When I looked up, I saw him hit her and she went down on the ground,” he said. “She was in the fetal position and he just pounded on her.”
Webb said it took him a moment to take action.
“For a second, I was kind of not believing I was seeing what I was seeing,” he said.
Webb said he left his cart and went after the man. At the same time, so did Ross and Lawley.
“I took off running right straight at him,” Ross said. “I tackled him right into a car. I neutralized him with a left hand to the face, then I got him in a headlock and threw him to the ground and put my body weight on him.”
Ross said he put his knee into the back of his neck. The man struggled, but Ross, Webb and Lawley kept him detained.
“Between the two of us, we pulled him over and got him pinned down on the ground,” Webb said. Lawley called 911.
The woman was taken to an area hospital for treatment of head injuries, police reported.
The victim in the incident commented on The Columbian’s story online, thanking the men.
“I could have been beat to death if it wasn’t for this men… I really want hug them… And thank them,” she said.
Though Castonguay told officers that he wanted to file assault charges on the men who detained him, police reviewed the surveillance footage and confirmed the bystanders’ stories, according to the police report filed in the case.
“It is worth noting that Webb, Lawley and Ross did not know each other and they did not have time to discuss or coordinate their efforts,” the officer wrote in his report. “The three of them obviously had similar character and convictions because the video showed all three of them instantly, simultaneously and without hesitation run to the aid of a stranger who was being assaulted.”
Woodland police are hailing the three men as heroes, but none of the men said they think of themselves as such.
“I was doing what needed to be done,” Webb said. “I would have liked to think lots of people would have stepped in there.”
Webb said he didn’t know what happened before the physical fight — but whatever it was, he said, “that wasn’t called for.”
Lawley said if he saw the same thing tomorrow, he wouldn’t change anything.
“It was surreal for a little bit. I thought, ‘Is this … really happening right here at the entrance to Wal-Mart?’ ” Lawley said. “My mom always raised us to respect women. … I wish there was more people out there like us.”
