In an offseason dominated by the talk of college athletes and sexual assault on and off campus, there is at least one good guy out there in the college football world. That’s because University of Florida student and Gators linebacker Cristian Garcia was involved in helping to stop a rape behind a bar in Gainesville.
Garcia, who is a walk-on linebacker who appeared in just one game last season, was working security at a bar/restaurant called Cantina 101 when he stepped out the back to take care of some garbage and noticed the assault taking place.
“I was taking out the garbage, and I saw the man pressing the woman up against the Dumpster. At first the guy said she was his girlfriend, but about five seconds later I realized the girl was unconscious,” Garcia told GatorSports.com. “I turned around and pulled the guy by the shoulder and said, ‘Get off.’ That pretty much ended the situation then. He was intoxicated and attempted to throw some punches, but he slipped and busted his face on the wall.”
According to the report, the rape was caught on camera by another witness and it has led to the arrest of 34-year-old Christopher Shaw in the aftermath of the attack.
Some may freeze when faced with this type of situation, but Garcia took action thanks to his morality and sense of the condition of the woman involved.
“I hold strong moral values and I don’t think anyone should be taken advantage of in that kind of way,” Garcia told local television station WTLV. “The girl was basically unconscious, so I knew there was no way she could be giving consent.”
As sickening as the act itself is, Garcia also spoke to WTLV about the scene he witnessed when his co-worker and he stepped outside. That included Shaw’s friends standing around and doing nothing while the attack was taking place.
The women attacked was taken to a hospital and after waking up told the police she had not given consent and couldn’t have do to the level of her intoxication at the time. She also told them that she did try to push him away, but couldn’t because of her physical condition at the time.
[ESPN]
