Supervising Fire Dispatcher Bernard Peters Prevents Attempted Assault

Supervising Fire Dispatcher Bernard Peters is used to being on the receiving end of a 9-11 call, but on June 23, he was the one making the call, saving a friend from an attempted assault. At 2 a.m. that Saturday morning, Peters had stopped at a gas station in Stanton on his way home from work when he ran into a friend who was walking from another friend's home to her car, which was parked at a nearby office building. Concerned for the woman's safety, Peters offered her a ride, but she declined, saying her car was not that far away. Despite his friend's protests, he decided to follow her in his car to make sure she was okay. When he caught up with her, he was shocked to see her struggling with a man who was attempting to drag her into the bushes.

Acting quickly, Peters drove into the parking lot and immediately called 9-1-1 for assistance. After exiting the vehicle he startled her attacker, who jumped off the victim and ran to the other side of the building. Local police caught the suspect who is now being held for attempted assault without bail. "[He] definitely prevented a sexual assault or worse," said Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. "I would hope anybody would do the same thing in the same situation," said Peters.