There was a rousing round of applause Tuesday in L.A. City Hall chambers for a man who is being hailed as a hero.
Jesus Delgado was presented with an official commendation from the city of Los Angeles for his role in helping to stop a kidnapping.
"It's really comforting to know that brave people who care about their neighborhoods are in our midst," said L.A. City Councilman Mike Bonin.
On February 26, Delgado was working at a taco stand in Westchester when he responded to the screams of a 6-year-old boy, who had witnessed a man assault his nanny and run off with his 4-year-old brother.
"Grady and Brendan O'Brien, who were just 4 and 6 years old, had been walking home from school with their nanny. Suddenly a 33-year-old man approached them, punched the nanny in the face, and grabbed 4-year-old Grady and ran off with him, yelling 'This is a kidnapping,'" said Bonin.
Delgado chased after the suspect and helped to subdue the man until police arrived.
At Tuesday's ceremony, Delgado said he had never imagined that he would some day be honored at City Hall.
Delgado's boss says that there were plenty of witnesses to the attempted kidnapping, but that Delgado was one of the only ones who got involved.
"There were more than a hundred people standing on the street watching as everything went down, and this guy went into action and just started running while everybody else kind of stood there and watched," said Billy Tompkins, owner of T2 Tacos Mexican Grill. "So truly the character was revealed."
Delgado says he simply reacted to the situation as any caring person would. And he says the best part is that the little boy is safe with his family.
As for the suspect, Andron Gazarov remains behind bars. He was arrested on charges of kidnapping, attempted kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon.
