Man attacked at NoDa Lightrail, witness intervenes

NODA – A Harrisburg man is grateful after a stranger stepped in to save him as he was being attacked. It happened Monday afternoon at the Parkwood light rail station. The man asked WCCB to conceal his identity for safety reasons.

“I’ve been riding the same train for almost four or five years,” the man said, “so this has never happened to me.”

The man tells WCCB’s Emma Mondo that he was on the train on his way home from work when the man behind him snatched the phone from his hand and ran off the train. The man followed him.

“I was able to grab him almost at the end of the platform and then jumped on him. We both fell to the ground.”

At that moment, Michael Zytkow saw what was happening from across the street. While everyone else just stood there and watched, Zytkow took action.

“I immediately called 911 and went over to the spot where the two men had fallen to the ground,” Zytkow said.

Zytkow says he tried to persuade the robber to leave the man alone, but it didn’t work.

“When I saw him start hitting the guy, he got the Holy Spirit and I hit him,” Zytkow said, “and thank God he hit him perfectly.”

Zytkow managed to put the attacker in a headlock and hold him until the police arrived.

The accused robber is 27-year-old Darius Gillard. He has a criminal record dating back to 2013. He was last released from prison in 2019 after serving about two years for robbery and weapons possession.

Mondo asked the victim why he ran after Gillard.

“The police said he did this for many others,” he said. “So someone has to do something. Someone has to try to stop this.”