NFL: New England Patriots' Justin Herron honored by police for stopping sexual assault in Arizona park
New England Patriots' Justin Herron was honored by police on Wednesday for stopping a sexual assault of a woman in a park in Arizona. Herron received the Oustanding Service Award from the Arizona police for his actions. What did Justin Herron say happened during the incident at the Arizona park?
New England Patriots Justin Herron receives Outstanding Service Award
When Herron arrived he saw a man on top of a woman and the offensive guard yelled at him to get off her. After the assailant did not listen, Herron took action and pulled him away from the woman. Justin Herron told CBS reporters:
"All I could do was thrust myself over there and help the victim, make sure that I could comfort her and be the best person I could be to her around her.
'I'm a football player, so I'm kind of big, I try not to be too aggressive know that I could hurt somebody. I do have a loud voice. I yelled, told him to get off of her and then yanked him off and I told him to sit down and I told him to wait until the cops come," he added.
Herron had the situation under control before police could arrive at the scene. The suspect, Kevin Caballero, pushed the 71-year-old woman to the ground and attempted to sexually assault her. Herron was joined by a man named Murry Rogers, who was also in the park, in helping the victim.
Rogers told CBS that he was in the park trying to reserve a spot for his daughter's 15th birthday party. He helped detain the suspect while Herron got the woman to safety. The alleged victim called Herron and Rogers her angels for helping her. Herron and Rogers were both awarded the Outstanding Service Award by the Arizona police on Wednesday.
The New England Patriots selected Justin Herron in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Herron featured in 12 games for the Patriots during the 2020-2021 NFL season. The 25-year-old is training in Arizona ahead of his second season in the NFL.