Bus passenger Nathan Scott Wanhala of Santa Cruz, Calif. rescued a woman, 25, and her toddler daughter, 3, from assault aboard the interstate bus on March 5, 2018, in Visalia, Calif.
A passenger armed with a knife forced her way between the mother and daughter, put the girl in a chokehold, pointed the knife at her throat, and then threatened to kill her. The girl’s mother quickly pulled her daughter away from the assailant and urged her to run to the front of the bus.
The assailant stabbed the mother twice in the torso. Wanhala, 30, moved between the mother and the assailant. He grasped the assailant’s right arm in both of his hands, attempting to wrest the knife from her. They both struggled for control of the knife. Wanhala was stabbed in the wrist and cut on his hands during the altercation. Others helped Wanhala subdue the assailant.
The mother was hospitalized for treatment of the stab wounds, and the toddler suffered an abrasion to her forehead. Following the incident, the assailant was arrested and charged. Wanhala was treated for his injuries, and he recovered.
89729-10114