:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(869x253:871x255)/john-rudat-82625-bd14181f9d3141b980ce0a6733f707fc.jpg "American Tourist Stabbed After Defending Women Being Harassed on a Tram
By Nicole Acosta")
NEED TO KNOW
- A 21-year-old tourist from the U.S. was stabbed and wounded after police claim he defended two women who were being harassed by two men on a tram in Dresden, Germany on Sunday, Aug. 24
- Police said the two suspects fled the scene but one, a 21-year-old native of Syria, was later apprehended by officers
- Loved ones said the wounded man, who is also an EMT, now faces a challenging recovery process
An American tourist was stabbed after police claim he was standing up for two women who were being harassed on public transportation in Germany.
The attack happened on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 12:25 a.m., when an argument broke out between three people at the Neustädter Markt tram stop in Dresden, according to a statement from the Dresden Police Department.
“Initially, two men from a group harassed female passengers on the train,” the police statement reads. “A 21-year-old U.S. citizen intervened and was stabbed by one of the other perpetrators during the ensuing altercation.”
Police said the two suspects fled the scene but one, a 21-year-old native of Syria, was later apprehended by responding officers. They added that the investigation remains ongoing as they seek to identify the second perpetrator and potential witnesses to the incident.
Loved ones identified the wounded U.S. citizen as John Rudat, according to a GoFundMe campaign created to help with his recovery process.
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“Fresh from completing Paramedic school, and having worked as an EMT for the last year and a half, John’s passion for saving lives drove him to heroically intervene when he saw two women being violently assaulted,” the fundraiser reads.
The fundraiser organizer wrote that Rudat suffered a “deep facial wound from a 6-inch blade” that required “extensive” surgery.
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“He now faces a challenging recovery; physically, emotionally, and even financially as he works to heal from this incident,” the fundraiser continued.
Police spokesman Thomas Geithner told German news outlet BILD that investigators are searching for the second suspect at “full speed” and hope to “identify the person soon.”
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Dresden Police Department at (0351) 483 22 33.
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