We all know veterans are heroes but some of them actually end up saving lives even when they’re not in uniform. Damian Austin was shopping for groceries at his local kroger in Savannah, GA when he heard a distressing noise coming from the bathroom. It seems a girl was being raped in there so he did what any sensible human being would do. Once he had located the perp, he was in hot pursuit of the criminal and chased him all the way to the back of an ace hardware store. Local CCTV footage captures him approaching the perp later identified as 25-year-old Greg Hathorne, with a gun in his hand. He told the rapist to put his hands up and he was compliant. He instructed him to get him on the ground as a woman came along to help him detain the suspect. She bought a pack of zip ties from the store and used them to ensure he could not run away. They were able to keep him detained until the authorities arrived and brought him into custody.
The footage shows Hathorn being hauled off in handcuffs to face justice for what he had done to that girl. As he got back to shopping, one of the managers came up to him and he gave him a $100 gift card to show his appreciation for what he had done. He said he was not looking for any type of praise but that he did appreciate the gift. He has said he hopes the victim can find solace in the knowledge that her attacker was arrested and that justice was done. As soon as he heard those cries for help, he could not help but think about the fact that his wife shops there, as well as his friends and his son, is one of the new employees. So, for him, it was imperative that he did not let the perp get away after what he did. He has yet to speak with the victim but did say he hopes she is doing well as he sends his thoughts and prayers to her and her family. He went on to say he hopes this does not control her life from here on in because there are still people out there who want to help.
Kroger has yet to respond to questions about whether they will up the security in their facilities but, given the severity of this incident, it seems likely that they will at least look into it. Describing the incident, Austin said the scream made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and that it was not a normal scream. He also kept drawing on him to ensure that he did not try to escape and this seemed to work long enough for the police to show up and arrest him. He said it felt good to help the community feel a bit safer and is just glad that justice was done at the end of the day. It is not clear what kind of fate awaits Hathorn but, given the severity of the crime, he is expected to face at least 25 to life in prison if he is found guilty. His arraignment is scheduled to be in the next few months.
