Good Samaritan Stops Florida Man Choking Child, Brandishing Knife At School Bus Stop
Not all heroes wear capes. Some carry a toolbox.
The DeLand PD reports that a group of kids was waiting for their school bus in the Daytona Beach, Florida, area when 36-year-old Christopher Steven Schwable approached them. Schwable, who’d been recently released from jail, allegedly grabbed a seventh-grade boy by the throat and began choking him.
One bystander happened to be driving by, but couldn’t ignore the confrontation. He made a U-turn and parked to race to the bus stop. He didn’t know whether Schwable was armed. So, with no weapon on hand, he grabbed a large toolbox.
When adults confronted Schwable, he allegedly pulled a folding knife from his sleeve. The child he was choking suffered a cut to his finger. The bystander knew he needed to end the situation immediately, to protect himself and others from the armed man. He hit Schwable twice with this toolbox. When police arrived, the Good Samaritan was waiting for them, pinning Schwable down.
Police took Schwable to the hospital to treat a head wound, then booked him into jail on charges of aggravated child abuseandaggravated assault with a deadly weapon, with a bond set at $5,000.
Authorities describe Schwable as currently homeless. He had just spent three weeks in jail on charges of indecent exposure and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released one week before the bus stop incident when prosecutors dropped the charges.
Authorities said the middle schooler was “distraught,” but have not revealed whether Schwable knew him before the bus stop attack.
