I need a hero! I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night. He’s gotta be strong, and he’s gotta be fast and he’s gotta be fresh from the fight.
Who doesn’t love a superhero? The embodiment of goodness prevailing over evil, an embodiment of becoming stronger than humanly possible, pushing the limits of what we can achieve when we fight for what is right.
Although we buy merch with our favorite hero’s face or logo plastered all over it, although we spend hours diving into the lore and the birth of their power, although we hope to meet them one day, rarely do we daydream of a situation where we actually end up crying out for a hero.
But thankfully, there are those among us who don’t need a cape and a fancy mask to come running in to help. This Chick-fil-A employee tackled a carjacker in the parking lot after he noticed the thief trying to steal a vehicle with a woman and her baby nephew inside. Let’s get into the details!
More info: Facebook
Mykel Gordon (26) was working his shift at a Chick-fil-A in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, when he heard a woman screaming for help in the parking lot
Image credits: Mykel Gordon
Mykel Gordon (26) was working his shift at a Chick-fil-A in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, on Wednesday afternoon (September 14); it was just a normal day as usual, but then he heard a scream echoing through the parking lot. Soon he found its origin.
A woman was trying to fight off an assailant trying to steal her vehicle. Her baby nephew was still inside. Without a second thought, Mykel rushed in to help.
A woman was trying to fight off an assailant trying to steal her vehicle. Her baby nephew was still inside. Without a second thought, Mykel rushed in to help
Image credits: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
Just as the thief climbed into the car, Mykel arrived and physically intervened. He tackled the carjacker to the ground and wrestled with him, trying his best to prevent the man from escaping until more help arrived. The assailant punched Mykel in the face, but that didn’t scare him off.
A woman holding a baby in one arm and waving with the other screamed “Somebody help!” as Mykel struggled with the man. He seemed to have subdued the would-be carjacker just as some co-workers and at least one customer rushed out from inside the restaurant to help him.
Just as the thief climbed into the car, Mykel tackled the carjacker to the ground, trying his best to prevent the man from escaping until the police arrived
Image credits: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
They, along with Mykel, were able to restrain the man until the authorities arrived. A bystander caught the incident on their phone and provided it to the investigators as evidence for the case.
The woman told the deputies that she was approached by the carjacker, now known as 43-year-old William Branch, while she was trying to get her baby nephew out of the car.
Co-workers and at least one customer rushed out from the restaurant to help him. They, along with Mykel, were able to restrain the man until the authorities arrived
Image credits: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
William approached her with a stick, intending to use it as a weapon. When she recoiled from him, he grabbed her car keys from the waistband of her pants and got into the car while her nephew was still inside.
Although Mykel suffered a punch and bruises, he was otherwise unharmed. He told law enforcement that this wasn’t the first time the man had attempted something like this.
The woman told the deputies that the man approached her with a stick, grabbed her car keys and attempted to get in the car while her baby nephew was still inside
Image credits: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
Just 10 minutes prior to this incident, William attempted another carjacking at the same Chick-fil-A, when he reached into a woman’s car and unlocked her passenger door. He got inside and sat on top of the woman, “placing all of his bodyweight” on her, and told her to get out of the car, according to the report.
Mykel intervened in that carjacking after hearing the woman shouting for help. At that time, he was able to chase William off with a non-physical confrontation.
Image credits: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
Not surprisingly, the young man was hailed a hero. In a Facebook post, the Chick-fil-A location praised Mykel for going above and beyond the call of duty, writing: “At Chick-fil-A our mission is to ‘Serve’ and today Mykel took it further… to ‘Save.’”
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office shared details of the incident and also applauded Mykel in posts on Facebook and Twitter, in which they wrote: “A major shout-out to this young man for his courage!” They announced that Willian was charged “with carjacking with a weapon and battery.”
Although Mykel was punched, he was otherwise unharmed. The young man was hailed a hero by both Chick-fil-A and the The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office
Image credits: Chick-fil-A of FORT WALTON BEACH
Many of Mykel’s regular customers took to the comments section to share their own experiences with him and praise him for his heroic actions. “Thank you, Sir! Your actions are that of a true hero,” one person wrote, adding: “You are always so friendly and you actually ran down Beal Pkwy one day when I left my Choc. Chunk at the drive-thru - Seriously, you come to the rescue in so many ways!”
“He is always so polite! Anytime I see him taking drive-through orders, I make sure to go through his line because he is always so nice, helpful, and kind! Whenever I saw the video I immediately thought of him,” another added.
Image credits: Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District
Incredibly, this wasn’t even the first time that Mykel had rushed to save someone in distress near his workplace. In 2018, he helped two teenage girls after a trucker equipped with a crane failed to negotiate a nearby turn and rolled onto a car with two 17-year-old girls inside, the Northwest Florida Daily News reported.
Mykel ran up to the crushed vehicle, picked up one of the girls on the ground there, brought her to the side and tried to calm her, but she told him her friend was stuck in the car. He saw the other girl struggling to crawl out of a small opening on the passenger side. He realized he couldn’t reach her, but he ran inside to grab ice and towels.
Eventually, a group of other passersby—including a former firefighter—forced open one of the destroyed car’s doors, and the second girl was able to wiggle free.
“God resonates there. It’s a miracle in many ways how this happened. But just to have people like this that step forward and make something happen, I know not everybody is gonna do something like that,” the father of one of the girls told the newspaper.
“I’m just so happy that everyone is safe and sound,” Mykel said in a Facebook post. We wish him and his family all the best
Image credits: Mykel Gordon
Okaloosa’s sheriff, Eric Aden, on Thursday went to Mykel’s Chick-fil-A and presented him with a framed certificate of service and a ceremonial coin that some organizations use to recognize special achievements.
“If you hear a call for help, know I’ll be there first,” Mykel told Aden after a small ceremony outside the restaurant. Referring to his certificate and coin, he said: “Thank you very much, guys–I will take this, I got to put this in some very safe place.”
He also posted the video on his Facebook page, saying: “I didn’t mean for it to look so graphic. I’m just so happy that everyone is safe and sound. And lord, the community is amazing. I didn’t expect all this love and support. Wow I just did something I hope someone would do for my girls.”
You can watch the full video here
We wish Mykel and his family all the best and hope that there’s a Mykel in all of our lives when we find ourselves in danger. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below—would you have done the same?
Remember to upvote and follow the author for more uplifting stories, and I wish you a wondrous day ahead!
Bored Panda has reached out to Mykel for comment.
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