15-year-old ROTC hero sprints across parking lot, tackles thug who was attacking woman, 65: 'It's just the right thing to do'



A 15-year-old ROTC student sprinted across a Florida supermarket parking lot earlier this month and tackled a wannabe carjacker who was assaulting a 65-year-old woman.

Andrew Papp's reason for his heroic actions that day? "It's just the right thing to do," he told WTVT-TV.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

What are the details?

"He told me to give him my keys, and I said no and turned away from him, and he was still all over me," Billie Richert, the victim of the Dec. 4 attack outside a Publix supermarket in Riverview, noted to the station. Riverview is just under a half-hour southeast of Tampa.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Video shows the suspect throwing Richert to the ground — and that's when Andrew jumped into action.

"I started chasing after him, and he turned around and tried to fight me," Andrew, a sophomore at Riverview High School, recounted to WTVT, adding that the suspect "was trying to grab my neck and grab my chain, and so I just kind of held him on the ground."

The station added that another hero named Dan, a former Green Beret, helped Andrew subdue the suspect until police arrived.

"I mean that could be someone's mom, someone's aunt," Andrew added to WTVT. "Like, if that was my mom, and someone did that to my mom, and he got away, that's just, like, that's terrible."

Yet the station said Andrew hardly said a word about it in school.

However, his school principal sure did. WTVT said Brian Spiro this week honored Andrew in front of his Junior ROTC class, describing how he saved the woman.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

"Andrew saw that as an opportunity to step in and protect her, and he did so decisively," Spiro said, according to the station.

Not even Andrew's dad knew all the details — not until he saw a Facebook post asking who the heroic teen was who stepped in to help, WTVT noted.

"I couldn't ask for a better son," Andrew's father, Coy Reavis, told the station.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Andrew chalked up his heroics to how he was brought up.

"I think it's just the way that I was raised," he told WTVT, "Just doing the right thing. Like my parents had a huge impact and so did my friends."

A 'thank you' over FaceTime

Richert wasn’t injured and was in Virginia with family for Christmas when she learned about Andrew, the station said, adding that officials from his school arranged a FaceTime meeting this week so she could thank her teenage hero.

"Thank you so much for helping me when I needed help," Richert told Andrew, adding that "your mama raised a good boy."

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Richert's granddaughters chimed in with multiple thank-yous on the FaceTime chat as well while they were making Christmas cookies, the station said, adding that Richert has promised to bake cookies for Andrew upon her return to Florida.

Anything else?

Robert Moore, 42, was arrested in connection with the incident and charged with robbery by sudden snatching, battery on a victim over 65, and battery, WTVT reported.

Image source: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said that "the swift actions of these Good Samaritans echo the strength and unity of our tight-knit community."

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Concealed-carrying woman shoots gunman 5 times after cops say he shot male victim in face following argument



A woman with a concealed-carry permit shot a gunman five times last week in North Carolina after police say the gunman shot a male victim in the face following an argument.

What are the details?

Shelby Police Capt. Seth Treadway told the Shelby Star that 33-year-old Unterio M. Jolly made his way to the 500 block of Smith Street around 6 p.m. Nov. 6 where he got into an argument with another man.

“Then they kind of go their separate ways, and about a half an hour after [Jolly] shows up with a gun and shoots [the other male] in the face and the shoulder,” Treadway told the paper. “Right after he does that ... a concerned citizen shoots back trying to protect [the other male] and hits Jolly about five times. She shoots him five times.”

Treadway told the Star that Jolly was in critical but stable condition in Charlotte, and the male victim is expected to live.

Treadway added to the paper that Jolly was determined to be the aggressor and that warrants were obtained for charges of felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury, firearm by a felon, and assault by pointing a gun.

“We will consult with the district attorney’s office later in the day to see if those charges need to stay the same,” Treadway noted to the Star. “I do not expect any charges on the person that returned fire.”

Treadway added to the paper that the woman has a legally issued concealed handgun permit.

How are folks reacting?

Several hundred commenters chimed in underneath Fox News' story on the incident published by Yahoo! News. They seemed rather pleased by the outcome:

  • "That's what I call gun control," one commenter wrote. "Great job, lady."
  • "Not a good guy with a gun but a good gal with a gun..." another commenter observed.
  • "An armed bystander to the rescue," another commenter said. "The victim could have been killed. Is this want the gun control crowd wants? Each month the NRA magazine has six or seven accounts of legal gun owners using weapons for their protection. Six or seven potential killings. Is this what the gun controllers want?"
  • "Another story about a legal gun owner who also happens to be a hero," another commenter noted. "Good job."
  • "See what happens when people exercise their 2A rights to keep and bear arms?" another commenter wondered. "It helps prevent violence and mass shootings. California, NY, and WA need to take note."
  • "And if the liberals had their way, no one would have a gun for protection — except the criminals, of course," another commenter concluded.

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NYC cops charge subway rider who reportedly fired warning shots to save woman from robbery — and folks are fuming over arrest



New York City police have charged a subway rider who reportedly fired warning shots to save a woman from a robbery.

As you might expect, observers fed up with crooks getting away with crime — and depressed over regular folks getting into trouble when they step in to prevent crime — are livid over the arrest.

What are the details?

A panhandler was holding open an emergency gate at the 49th Street subway station at Seventh Avenue just after 9 p.m. Tuesday and told a 40-year-old woman he would steal her purse if she didn't hand over her money, WABC-TV reported.

With that, another man ordered the panhandler to "leave her alone" and then fired a couple of warning shots, thwarting the potential robbery, the station said.

No injuries were reported, WABC said, and the man with the gun fled.

Police on Wednesday arrested a suspect — 43-year-old John Rote — and charged him with criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a firearm, and menacing, the station reported.

"I want to be clear: we don't tolerate this kind of conduct in NYC Transit, period," NYC Transit President Richard Davey said in a statement, according to WABC. "Once again, cameras recorded a perpetrator, and we are grateful the NYPD made an arrest within hours. Thank goodness nobody was hurt here, but what occurred was outrageous, reckless, and unacceptable."

What happened to the panhandler?

Police arrested the panhandler — 40-year-old Matthew Roesch — and charged him with attempted robbery, the station said, adding that Roesch has one prior arrest for theft of service at the Times Square-W. 42nd St. subway station Sept. 18.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), WABC said.

'Arrested? Hell, give him a medal!'

Here's a sampling of social media commenters who are angry that a guy apparently trying to help prevent crime is now being called a criminal:

  • "Arrested? Hell, give him a medal!" one commenter said.
  • "And people wonder why no one stands up for people in trouble," another commenter observed.
  • "Good thing all these police officers were in the New York City subway transit system to prevent this gun crime," another commenter quipped.
  • "Release this man," another commenter demanded. "NYC is a f***ing s**thole. They expect you to stand there and be a victim and will lock you in a cage for defending innocent people. This is outrageous. People should be ... demanding his release."

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