Last week the Santa Clara Police Department acknowledged Mr. Francisco Pacheco.
On Jan. 8, 2022, a felony assault occurred on the 800 block of El Camino Real. A female victim was visiting her daughter, a Santa Clara University student, and was staying at a hotel. At approximately 8:45 a.m., the victim was walking to her hotel room when she was approached from behind by a male subject wearing only underwear. The subject, who was also staying at the hotel, grabbed the victim and punched her multiple times. The male was unknown to the victim, the attack was random and completely unprovoked.
Mr. Pacheco happened to be outside of his hotel room and witnessed the brazen and violent act. He took the decisive action to quickly run to the victim's aid, and protect her from additional harm. Without regard for his own safety, Mr. Pacheco pushed the suspect off the victim, and pinned the subject to the ground until the Santa Clara Police Department arrived and placed the subject in custody.
Although the victim sustained serious injuries, Mr. Pacheco's quick, decisive and selfless actions likely prevented a more serious outcome. For this, the Santa Clara Police Department is grateful to have Mr. Pacheco as a community partner.
If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, be a good witness and call 9-1-1 immediately. Once connected with a Public Safety Dispatcher, provide your location and briefly describe the situation. Then, respond to a series of questions from the Public Safety Dispatcher providing as much detail as possible (e.g. head to toe physical description of the subject(s), vehicle color, make, model, license plate number and identifying characteristics, direction of travel, etc.). The quicker you call and the more descriptive you can be, the better the chance law enforcement is able to locate the subject.
