4 Awarded As 'Courageous Citizens' By DA Steve Cooley
PASADENA (CBS) — Three people who stopped an attack on a woman and a woman who helped thwart a robbery were given Courageous Citizens awards Wednesday by District Attorney Steve Cooley.
Justine Garcia, 19, of Glendora, Michael Valle, 21, of Monterey Park, and Deedee Reyna, 18, of Sylmar, were given the award for aiding a woman who had been knocked to the ground by her boyfriend outside an Alhambra movie theater in June 2009, according to the D.A.'s Office.
Valle got between the man and the victim, shielding the woman from the attack after Garcia and Reyna rushed to her aid, officials said.
Also honored was Angela Casillas, 31, of Hesperia, who was at a check-cashing business in Balwin Park when a man -- assisted by three others -- tried to flee with about $34,000 in February 2010, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Casillas and a clerk held the robber until police arrived.
The awards were given out during a ceremony Wesdnesday at the Pasadena Hilton.
The District Attorney's Office gives the Courageous Citizen awards several times a year to people who have "performed extraordinary acts of valor and selflessness in aiding victims, capturing suspects and assisting in criminal prosecution."
(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
