Three Marines intervened to prevent a potential stabbing when deputies say a teenager pulled a knife on a victim at a restaurant in Stafford County, Virginia, on Saturday.
It happened at 25 Dunn Drive in North Stafford around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to a news release from the Stafford County Sherriff’s Office.
Two teenage boys were assaulting a male victim and stole his phone before deputies say one pulled out a knife.
The Marines at the restaurant separated the 17-year-old and 14-year-old suspects from the victim. One Marine broke the knife in half, deputies said.
The suspects left the scene but were found in a nearby parking lot at 394 Garrisonville Road and taken into custody.
A 17-year-old boy, who was armed with a knife, is charged with assault and battery, robbery and attempted felony wounding. The 14-year-old is charged with assault and battery as well as robbery.
Deputies recovered the stolen phone and gave it back to the victim.
The sheriff’s office is hailing the marines as heroes.
“Thank you to the hero Marines who stepped up in order to protect the victim. Without you, this altercation could have been a lot worse,” the office said in a news release.
Here’s a map of where the robbery and assault happened:
[google_map latitude=”38.4754″ longitude=”-77.4228″ zoom=”13″ height=”300px” location_label=”crime scene” dynamic_map=”false”]