Leroy N. Soetoro
2024-04-07 20:08:01 UTC
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/illinois-stabbing-spree-good-
samaritan-intervene-attack-rcna145657
Keith Fahrney was driving home from class in Rockford, Illinois, when he
saw a woman being attacked by Christian Soto, the man accused of killing
four people and injuring seven others during a stabbing spree Wednesday.
Fahrney, 51, said that, without thinking, he hit his brakes and ran over
to help the woman, getting attacked himself.
After a night in the hospital, Fahrney is now back home and trying to
process what happened.
"It's very scary. You never think this is going to happen to you," he said
in a phone call Friday. "My stepdaughter when she called from Florida, she
said, 'Well, luckily, you're the kind of person that just won't take out
your phone and start recording. You were the one that went over there and
scared this guy off to protect her.'"
Authorities said the rampage began shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday and
involved "multiple scenes" in Rockford and an area of Winnebago County.
Soto, 22, was arrested after police said he stabbed three people to death
and fatally beat a 15-year-old girl who was watching movies with her
sister and friend. He faces numerous charges of murder, attempted murder
and home invasion.
Seven others, including Fahrney, were injured.
Fahrney, who is studying to be an engineer, said he was on his way home
when he saw a wild scene: two women with blankets and towels running down
the street screaming for help.
"I drove maybe another 1,000 feet or whatever and noticed that there was
this lady sitting in the middle of her yard with somebody standing over
the top of her," he said. "She looked like she was in distress as I was
starting to pass her. So, I slammed on my brakes. I got out of the
vehicle."
Fahrney, who lives in Rockford, said he approached the woman and asked if
she was OK. Soto then moved away from her, he said.
When Fahrney realized that the woman was covered in blood, he went to his
vehicle to grab his cellphone and came face-to-face with Soto, who had
jumped in the driver's seat of Fahrney's car and was trying to flee.
"I opened up my door, grabbed him, threw him out," he said. "We kind of
wrestled around for a couple of seconds and then I noticed that he was
trying to like tap me in the head. ... And at that time, I noticed that
this liquid was running down my chest and I put my hand up to my head and
there was blood. I realized that he had stabbed me or did something to
me."
During the fight, police arrived and arrested Soto after a brief foot
chase, according to authorities.
Fahrney said Soto had stabbed him in the neck and slashed the back of his
head. He received eight staples for his head injury and three stitches
underneath his chin.
He said Soto did not say anything during the attacks but "looked very
estranged like something had taken over his body."
Sheriff Gary Caruana said Thursday that the woman "could have easily been
deceased" if it wasn't for Fahrney.
"The good Samaritan stopped that situation," Caruana said at a news
conference. "He did a tremendous job in helping."
A motive for the attacks remains unclear. Winnebago County States
Attorney J. Hanley said Soto admitted to the attacks and said he had taken
marijuana that he believed was "laced with an unknown narcotic" before the
rampage.
Soto appeared in court Thursday afternoon and was denied pretrial release
until his next hearing.
Fahrney said he does not consider himself a hero and thinks "human nature"
is what made him jump out and help.
"I'm just a guy that was trying to help somebody that needed help," he
said.
Fahrney said he hopes other people will do the same for someone who is in
danger.
"In todays world, people need to get off their phones. They need to stop
recording," he said. "People got to step in and start helping everybody
else."
--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.
samaritan-intervene-attack-rcna145657
Keith Fahrney was driving home from class in Rockford, Illinois, when he
saw a woman being attacked by Christian Soto, the man accused of killing
four people and injuring seven others during a stabbing spree Wednesday.
Fahrney, 51, said that, without thinking, he hit his brakes and ran over
to help the woman, getting attacked himself.
After a night in the hospital, Fahrney is now back home and trying to
process what happened.
"It's very scary. You never think this is going to happen to you," he said
in a phone call Friday. "My stepdaughter when she called from Florida, she
said, 'Well, luckily, you're the kind of person that just won't take out
your phone and start recording. You were the one that went over there and
scared this guy off to protect her.'"
Authorities said the rampage began shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday and
involved "multiple scenes" in Rockford and an area of Winnebago County.
Soto, 22, was arrested after police said he stabbed three people to death
and fatally beat a 15-year-old girl who was watching movies with her
sister and friend. He faces numerous charges of murder, attempted murder
and home invasion.
Seven others, including Fahrney, were injured.
Fahrney, who is studying to be an engineer, said he was on his way home
when he saw a wild scene: two women with blankets and towels running down
the street screaming for help.
"I drove maybe another 1,000 feet or whatever and noticed that there was
this lady sitting in the middle of her yard with somebody standing over
the top of her," he said. "She looked like she was in distress as I was
starting to pass her. So, I slammed on my brakes. I got out of the
vehicle."
Fahrney, who lives in Rockford, said he approached the woman and asked if
she was OK. Soto then moved away from her, he said.
When Fahrney realized that the woman was covered in blood, he went to his
vehicle to grab his cellphone and came face-to-face with Soto, who had
jumped in the driver's seat of Fahrney's car and was trying to flee.
"I opened up my door, grabbed him, threw him out," he said. "We kind of
wrestled around for a couple of seconds and then I noticed that he was
trying to like tap me in the head. ... And at that time, I noticed that
this liquid was running down my chest and I put my hand up to my head and
there was blood. I realized that he had stabbed me or did something to
me."
During the fight, police arrived and arrested Soto after a brief foot
chase, according to authorities.
Fahrney said Soto had stabbed him in the neck and slashed the back of his
head. He received eight staples for his head injury and three stitches
underneath his chin.
He said Soto did not say anything during the attacks but "looked very
estranged like something had taken over his body."
Sheriff Gary Caruana said Thursday that the woman "could have easily been
deceased" if it wasn't for Fahrney.
"The good Samaritan stopped that situation," Caruana said at a news
conference. "He did a tremendous job in helping."
A motive for the attacks remains unclear. Winnebago County States
Attorney J. Hanley said Soto admitted to the attacks and said he had taken
marijuana that he believed was "laced with an unknown narcotic" before the
rampage.
Soto appeared in court Thursday afternoon and was denied pretrial release
until his next hearing.
Fahrney said he does not consider himself a hero and thinks "human nature"
is what made him jump out and help.
"I'm just a guy that was trying to help somebody that needed help," he
said.
Fahrney said he hopes other people will do the same for someone who is in
danger.
"In todays world, people need to get off their phones. They need to stop
recording," he said. "People got to step in and start helping everybody
else."
--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.