Garcia -- an unassuming, bespectacled 16-year-old Perris resident -- came to her rescue when the 69-year-old woman was attacked by two dogs in August.
“I knew I was dead,” said Johnson. “There’s no doubt in my mind that kid saved my life. No doubt at all.”
Garcia was recently honored for his actions, with proclamations from the Perris City Council and State Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, plus a commendation from Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff.
It was Aug. 1, 2014, when Johnson went out to gather the mail for a neighbor. A German shepherd and boxer quickly pounced and began to attack, biting at her legs and ankles.
Garcia, who lives two blocks away, was en route to a friend’s house when he heard Johnson’s screams.
“I was like, ‘What the (heck) is that?’” said Garcia, who was 15 at the time. “And then I saw two dogs. I thought one of them was hers and the other one was like a street dog. They were fighting. But then I saw her drop and both the dogs got on her.”
Johnson, an Orange County letter carrier for over 30 years, understands dogs. She said when she walks her Perris neighborhood near Nuevo and Evans roads with friends or her cocker spaniel, she customarily carries a spiked club and hornet spray, which she said is more effective than mace. But this time she had neither.
She estimated the attack went on for two minutes.
“I was a goner -- period,” said Johnson.
Then Garcia stepped in. He said he promptly began kicking at the boxer, as the German shepherd backed off of Johnson. A neighbor woman who witnessed the attack pulled up in a car. Johnson crawled in as Garcia engaged the dogs.
Back at her house, Johnson assessed her injuries. She clearly remembers her new white Sketchers soaked in blood. Ultimately, an ambulance was called and Johnson said she was treated at the emergency room.
Today, she still bears scars on her ankles. There were also a series of bite wounds on both of her legs, Johnson said.
“Getting in the ambulance, I told everybody, ‘I need to know that kid that saved my life,’” said Johnson.
Garcia said he was able to leave the scene and simply continued on to his friend’s house.
A day later, Johnson was back home talking with a friend about the attack and the mysterious boy who intervened in the attack. She said she recognizes a lot of the teenagers in the area, but didn’t have a clue about the kid who rode to her rescue.
By chance, the friend visiting Johnson noticed a group of boys walking by -- and Johnson recognized Garcia. Johnson rushed outside and asked him if he was the one who saved her life.
“Yeah,” responded Garcia.
Johnson scrawled out a $600 check on the spot and handed it to him.
The reaction of his peers for putting himself in harm’s way, however, was not as positive.
“They were like, ‘Fool, what’s wrong with you?’” said Garcia.
That’s not the message Sen. Roth’s District Representative Altie Holcomb shared with the gathering at the April 28 Perris City Council meeting, where Garcia was honored for coming to Johnson’s aid.
“Adrian, in your actions you exhibited a level of courage and bravery that’s typically beyond the scale of teenagers,” said Holcomb.
When Johnson asked him point-blank why he interceded, Garcia didn’t mince words.
“I’m not going to let you get chewed up,” he said.
(Press-Enterprise - May 8, 2015)
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