Long Island police officers are praising three good samaritans who helped nab a serial attacker in Hempstead Thursday.
Hempstead Police Department Chief Michael McGowan heaped praise upon the three teens who helped apprehend John Cole, a 52-year-old suspected of attacking at least seven women in Hempstead village over the past six weeks.
"It was nothing less than heroic," he said of the act.
McGowan said Cole targeted Latina women, grabbing their purses from behind and throwing them to the ground.
Blanca Alvayero, who works in the area, says attacks like that are a constant cause for concern.
"It happens, I'm glad they got him," she said.
Police apprehended Cole on Washington Street Wednesday night. He had allegedly attacked a 30-year-old woman who screamed for help in spanish.
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The teens heard her cries for help, chased the 52-year-old down and grabbed him, all despite the fact that court records say Cole swung a tire iron at the Good Samaritans.
