LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Louisville mother said a 15-year-old boy was stabbed after he defended her and her daughter following Thunder Over Louisville.
Kristyn Stasel and her 12-year-old daughter, Bristyl, were leaving near Waterfront Park when she said they were approached by a man making vulgar sexual comments to her daughter.
"He had pure evil in his eyes — that's the only way I can describe it," Kristyn Stasel said.
Kristyn said she screamed, "She's only 12," and the man responded with something along the lines of "never too young to have fun."
"I can't explain in words how disgusting that was, but it was beyond what I can describe," Bristyl Stasel said.
Kristyn said she began yelling "pedophile," hoping someone would help. She said the man then charged at her, prompting her to yell louder.
"I would think a dad, an older person, someone my age would jump in," Kristyn Stasel said. "It wasn't — it was a group of teenage boys that came to our rescue."
Kristyn said the boys stepped in, formed a barrier between them and the man, and then tackled him to the ground.
That's when a 15-year-old boy was stabbed.
"Finding out a 15-year-old was harmed — three years older than my daughter — just devastated me," she said. "Somebody else's child got hurt defending mine. He put his life on the line, and for that I'm forever grateful."
The family said they are still in contact with the boy and his family, and that he is doing well.
According to court documents, 45-year-old Vasilis Sakellaridis, from Oregon, was arrested and charged in connection with the stabbing.
Sakellaridis faces charges of assault, alcohol intoxication in a public place, disorderly conduct and fleeing or evading police.
During his arraignment Monday morning, Sakellaridis pleaded not guilty, and a judge set his bond at $25,000 cash.
"Those kids are heroes beyond heroes," Kristyn Stasel said. "Not only did they save her, but they potentially saved another child that night."
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