Heather Owen was out to lunch with her 8-year-old daughter at Biscuitville in Greensboro, North Carolina. These lunch dates have become something of a tradition for the mother and daughter.
Heather says her daughter always goes to use to the restroom while waiting for their food. This time, her daughter wanted to go to the bathroom by herself, and she felt comfortable knowing she was in eyesight.
Just as her daughter went to use the restroom, Heather noticed a man seated nearby who seemed to be watching her. He then got up from his table, walked to the bathroom, and leaned against the wall.
Heather began watching him like a hawk. "You don't want to pre-judge anybody 'cause that happens a lot nowadays," she told WGHP. "I was like, 'Well, maybe he really is going to use the bathroom.'"
But just as her daughter walked out of the bathroom, the guy attempted to grab her — and that's when a complete stranger, who had quietly been watching the entire incident unfold, decided to step in.
"The fact that when I came in, he was just staring at the girl, and he was just so focused on her. And then once he got up to go to the bathroom right out there [where] she went, that's when I was like, 'OK, I'm already not feeling right about this.'"
Cody Byrd is a graduate student studying computer science. Now he can add "hero" to his résumé.
