Video: Man comes to woman’s aid during robbery in Houston; suspect sought
HOUSTON - A Good Samaritan saved a woman from an attacker and ended up pistol whipped and hospitalized. But Simon Mancilla Sr. says, although he was seriously injured, he would do it all again.
It happened in North Houston. A woman had just a left a check cashing store on Airline at Parker when a man with a gun forced her to hand over her keys, and he climbed into her pick-up truck with her in broad daylight. But a perfect stranger stepped in to save her.
"This is where I had to get a lot of stitches in my head," Mancilla says while showing a number of wounds on his head that had to be sewn closed.
The video of Mr. Mancilla literally in a fight for his life is hard to watch, as a man who is carjacking the 73-year-old severely beats him with a gun, as Mancilla tries to keep the man from stealing his truck.
**NOTE: VIDEO CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE** Mobile users, click here to see the video.
"He was beating me with a pistol in my head," Mancilla explains and he says as he was being pistol whipped in the face and head, blood began pouring into his eyes.
What you don’t see on the video is before the man set his sights on this hero, the attacker actually pulled a gun on a woman in the parking lot and was assaulting her inside her own truck.
"I saw that man was choking that girl. So I couldn’t let that go," Mancilla says as he explains how he bravely told the man to stop.
"But then the man got mad, and he came up with the gun, up to my truck and told me you get out of the truck, or I’ll kill you," says Mancilla and he complied.
The man then got into the 73-year-old’s truck and that’s when someone started recording the video as Mancilla tries desperately to stop the man from taking his pickup, but he’s beaten severely with the gun.
"I was frightened at the moment," Mancilla explains.
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Another Good Samaritan is seen on the video coming to help, but Mancilla is shoved from the moving truck and fell hard onto the street. Both good guys are nearly run over as the man takes off, stealing Mr. Mancilla’s black 2011 GMC Sierra pick-up, a truck he was finally able to buy just six months ago.
This happened September 7 at 12:30 p.m.
The 73-year-old is still suffering pain and bruising, but he’s grateful to be alive and thankful he saved the woman from being kidnapped or worse.
"I know that God was with me," says Mancilla.
Mr. Mancilla hopes you’ll take a good look at the man and turn him in if you know him. There is a $5,000 reward. Mancilla only had liability insurance, so he’s now without transportation, and he's hoping he’ll get his truck back. His neighbors have set up a go fund me to help with medical expenses and to replace his pick-up if it isn’t recovered.
Please contact Crime Stoppers of Houston DIRECTLY if you have any information related to this investigation. Information leading to the charging and/or arrest of any felony suspects may result in a cash payment up to $5,000. Tipsters MUST contact Crime Stoppers DIRECTLY to remain anonymous and to be considered for a cash payment by calling 713-222-TIPS, submitting an online tip at www.crime-stoppers.org or through the Crime Stoppers mobile app.