ARLINGTON, Va. — Police are investigating after they say a good Samaritan was beaten by a man after trying to stop that same man from allegedly assaulting a woman he had been fighting with moments earlier.
According to the Arlington County Police Department, officers were called to the 2800 block of Wilson Boulevard just before 6:45 p.m. Sunday.
When officers arrived, they spoke with a man who explained he had been walking in the area when he noticed a man and woman arguing. During the argument, the victim, who later identified himself as Adam Theo to WUSA9, said the man tried to assault the woman and when he tried to intervene, the man turned his aggression onto him.
"He turned around and started punching me instead," Theo said.
Police say the suspect hit Theo multiple times before he was able to move away from him. The suspect then reportedly reapproached Theo, pushed him to the ground and assaulted him before he was pulled away by the woman and a witness.
"I got cuts, bruises, but the worst is just black eyes," Theo said. "But those will heal."
The man and the woman left before police arrived and have not been found. The suspect is described as a man wearing a blue button-up shirt and white pants.
Theo was taken to an area hospital for help and is expected to be OK. Two of Theo's friends, Luca Gattoni-Celli and Dan Alban, started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the man. It has raised more than $9,000 in less than 24 hours to cover Theo's medical expenses.
Theo said the community's support has been humbling.
"The reaction from other people in the community has been the most surprising," he said. "That's not really something I expected."
If the suspect is caught, Theo said he would like to speak with him in person about why he did what he did.
"I'm a big fan of criminal justice reform, including diversion programs and restorative justice," he said. "So, if this guy is caught and he is brought into the legal system, I'm hoping that there can be some type of diversion program for him, something that gets him some serious anger management treatment."
Anyone with information may contact investigators through Crime Solvers at , 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
Two women in town for a conference were run over by a car that lost control in Washington DC in April 2018. Both lived to tell the tale, and said the experience deepened their faith.