Five Young Men Honored For Rescuing Washington Deputy Under Attack From Suspect
Authorities in Washington state are praising the actions of five young men who stepped in to help a deputy under attack from a suspected drunken driver, who was allegedly trying to flee the scene of a car accident.
King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht presented the five young men Monday, Aug. 3, with the Medal of Heroism, an award to honor community members who do extraordinary things, according to the sheriff’s office.
The honorees included 19year-old Dominic Sansaver and 17-year-old Isaiha Sansaver, sons of former Wolf Point resident Jaime (Sansaver) Cheatham. The other three boys were Darrell Swilley, 16; Tyran Powell, 18; and Kai Tavares, 18. “We can’t thank these fine young men enough. They are true heroes,” wrote the King County Sheriff’s office on Facebook.
The five teens saw a deputy in a chokehold by a suspected drunken driver who had just caused a crash. They jumped on the driver, subdued him and then helped the deputy get free and handcuff him, authorities said. Authorities said Deputy Elliott, who was off-duty and driving her patrol car home, was flagged down at the scene of a car crash that involved multiple vehicles around 1 a.m. July 18 in Auburn, Wash.
While Elliot checked to make sure no one was injured, a suspected drunken driver believed to have caused the accident began walking away from the scene. The deputy tried to physically detain him, but the suspect fought back, according to the sheriff’s office.
The suspect put Elliot in a chokehold. As she struggled to breathe, she heard several young men’s voices yelling, “Get off of her.”
Elliot suffered scrapes and bruising from the incident, but was not seriously injured. Authorities say the teen’s actions “quite possibly saved her life.”
“Moms and Dads, you should be proud of these kids!” wrote the sheriff’s office on Facebook.
The suspect, who was not identified, was arrested for felony assault of an officer and driving under the influence. He had several other warrants for his arrest, including DUI and driving with a suspended license.
The sheriff’s office says this is only the second time Johanknecht has awarded the Medal of Heroism.
