A good Samaritan was stabbed and killed when he attempted to intervene in an an attack that started as an argument Friday morning at a Berwyn grocery store, authorities said.
Humberto Guzman, 32, of Justice, died following the incident, which occurred at approximately 10:15 a.m. at Valle's Produce, 6323 Cermak Rd.
Police said the altercation started when a teenage girl approached her mother, a cashier, and asked how much a bottle of water costs. A man accused the girl of cutting in the checkout line, started swearing and then punched her in the face several times, according to Berwyn Police Chief Michael Cimaglia.
Guzman, who was shopping in the store, tried to intervene at which point the suspect pulled a knife out of his pocket and stabbed the 32-year-old several times.
The woman, her daughter and a store employee chased the man out of the building shouting for help. Another person tried to stop the man, and that person was also stabbed in the stomach, police said.
Authorities said the man was later found sitting on a porch with what appeared to be the knife used in the stabbing.
A woman who was shopping at the time said she and the other customers are alive because of Guzman and the other man who stepped in to help.
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"He is a hero," said an individual who translated during an interview. "She would have been the one dead if not for this man."
Cimaglia said the incident was captured in what he called a "horrific video" from inside the store, adding it's "unbelievable that an individual could do what this individual did..."
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"You know, it's a bad situation," he said. "You're a good Samaritan, you're there to help people. You try to do the right thing and something tragic, very unfortunate... like this happens."
The police chief said detectives had interviewed the suspect as of late Friday afternoon, and that several other witnesses had yet to be interviewed as of that point.
The unidentified suspect wasn't charged as of Friday afternoon, however police said they were in contact with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office regarding the incident.
NBC 5 has not been able to independently confirm details of the altercation and stabbing.
