Restaurant worker was caught on video rushing in to save a screaming woman holding a baby. The 43-year-old suspect reportedly attempted to grab her keys and steal her car, according to a statement shared Wednesday by the Sheriff’s Office. He has been charged with carjacking with a weapon and battery. He approached the mother with a stick and demanded she give him the keys to her car. “He then grabbed the keys from the waistband of her pants, opened her car door, and got inside,” according to the news release. When the victim began screaming for help, the restaurant worker ran to intervene.
The suspect, later identified as W. Branch, reportedly punched the young man in the face but the second victim was not seriously injured. The employee says Branch had been involved in another incident shortly before the carjacking attempt.”
The heroic employee has been identified as M. Gordon, where he has worked for 14 years. The Sheriff’s Office called Gordon a humble hero. In a Facebook post, they said Sheriff Aden and members of the OCSO went to meet him at his workplace “delivering a special coin, a personal thanks for his quick response to seeing someone in danger, and an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Community Service Award. We’re grateful for the courage of people like Mykel,” they added.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the employee if anyone wishes to offer support. It reads: We humbly ask for any support you might offer. He portrays the qualities men should strive to possess. We are honored to call him friend, and are bolstered by his bravery and character. He is the text book definition of what being a hero truly means. Mykel is also a wonderful father of two (including a new born that spent some time in the NICU) and has a one car household. But this isn’t the first time Mykel was a hero. He also rushed to help out two young girls out of their car safely when a crane fell on their vehicle in 2018!
