Letter Carrier Pedro Mendoza was delivering mail earlier this year in a Grand Junction, CO, neighborhood when he came upon an alarming scene:
A man wielding a knife was threatening a woman and her child outside a residence.
“He was saying, ‘I’m going to kill you and your baby and I’m going to slice his throat,’” Mendoza recalled.
A neighbor, Carlos Garcia, rushed to the pair’s defense, and the Postal Service employee safely helped him disarm and restrain the man while asking bystanders to call 911.
“The guy was telling me to let go,” Mendoza said later in an interview with the local NBC affiliate. “I told him, ‘I’m not going to let you go and hurt anyone on my route.’”
Garcia wasn’t surprised by the assist from Mendoza: “He always goes above and beyond, always.”
Mendoza said, “I would do it again in a heartbeat because my customers are like my family.”
The police department issued a statement commending the duo.
“We are gratified by their courage to intervene in a dangerous situation, and to continue to provide assistance even after officers arrived on the scene,” it read. “Both gentlemen represent true citizen service, and we appreciate the selflessness they displayed in helping where it was needed.”
The suspect faced multiple charges, including assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest.