Justice Served Through Bravery of Local CitizensDistrict Attorney Steve Cooley honors Los Angeles area residents who were instrumental in putting criminals in jail.By EGP News ReportLos Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley on Friday recognized four everyday citizens who acted courageously under extraordinary and stressful circumstances to bring criminals to justice.Among them was a man who came to the rescue of a woman getting beaten on an Echo Park sidewalk, a Boyle Heights man who bravely came forward to identify the shooter in a gang murder case, a nine-year-old Los Angeles girl who provided eye-witness testimony in a drug murder case, and a Los Angeles tow-truck driver whose persistence put a group of armed gunmen behind bars.Cooley presented the four with the Courageous Citizen Award during a luncheon held by the Los Angeles Rotary Club on April 1.While driving in Echo Park in January 2010, honoree Robert Mark, 60, saw a man kicking and punching a woman in the face as she lay on a sidewalk trying to block the blows. Mark reacted to this scene by stopping his car, getting out of his car, and charging the assailant, who fled.Soon the assailant, who turned out to be the victim’s ex-boyfriend, returned, but Mark stood in the man’s way, until the attacker retreated for good. The defendant was captured, convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and is awaiting sentencing.In April 2008, honoree Jesus Delgadillo, 28, of Los Angeles, witnessed the murder of a former gang member in his Boyle Heights neighborhood. The victim, a former gang member who had turned his life around, was shot dead during a verbal confrontationWhile other witnesses were unwilling, Delgadillo came forward to testify in court on what he saw. He was able to identify the shooter, who was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.Despite her young age, honoree Chynna Hunt, 9, of Los Angeles, proved a poised and effective witness. She gave testimony about a man shooting to death another man after a September 2008 drug deal. The defendant in the case was convicted of murder and sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.
Tow truck driver Joseph Mosesean, 52, was honored for giving chase to a group of gunmen he witness fleeing the scene in December 2008.Mosean was stopped at a traffic light west of downtown Los Angeles, when he saw a group of armed suspects in a station wagon fire at a second car, killing the driver. When the gunmen attempted to flee, Mosesean jumped into action, following closely behind and relaying critical details to his company’s dispatch operator, who notified police.Mosesean tailed them for more than a mile before a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter joined the pursuit. The three suspects tried to flee on foot, but all were captured, and later each convicted of murder and sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison.
(www.thetowblog.com)
Posted by Cyndi Kight, Associate Editor of Towing and Recovery Footnotes
