Camp Pendleton Marine Credits Training in Rescue of San Clemente Woman

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally appeared in Patch's new Camp Pendleton Patch. Look for tons of news, photos and information about the men and women who serve at  there; I'll be working closely with the Camp Pendleton Patch Editor to bring you pieces like this one.

Hailing from Riverside, 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion Cpl. Justin Gerou, 24, and his wife cherished the small-town feel and relatively low crime rate of San Clemente.  So when they , early morning on May 15, Gerou knew that he had to help.

“I ran into her room and I saw a man on top of her, choking her by the neck,” Gerou said. “I ran over to him, told him to get off her and grabbed him in a choke-hold and tried ripping him off of her.”

Gerou, who was first on the scene, was later followed by three police officers who entered the home through the backdoor. They helped him subdue the 19-year-old man who allegedly tried to kiss the woman while choking her in the presence of her child.

“I finally get him off of her and I had to hold him down as the cops were trying to get handcuffs on him,” said Gerou.  “I had both his arms down and his legs captured.  He tried getting loose, but he never swung at me.”

Gerou’s reaction, he said, was in part due to the training he has received as a Marine.

“I didn’t go in there punching and kicking,” Gerou said.  “I assessed the situation and put him in a choke-hold because I didn’t want to miss him and hit her." 

Gerou had the suspect in a choke-hold and squeezed just enough to subdue him.

The man was later arrested and was said to have been under the influence of PCP or methamphetamine, according to police.

“One of the major things I didn’t think when I ran down there was if he had a weapon or not,” Gerou said, noting that he would’ve still offered his help.

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