GULFPORT, Fla., (WFLA) — The fate of a woman in Gulfport could’ve had a different outcome early Monday morning if two men didn’t jump in to help her.

Around 3:30 a.m., two men said they heard screaming and immediately ran outside to stop a woman from being sexually assaulted.

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The attack happened on one of the volleyball courts near the Gulfport Casino. The woman’s screams caught the attention of a woman who ran inside to get her husband and another man to go help.

“We heard the screaming immediately, we both took off, at which we seen the gentleman actually standing up, pulling his pants up at the time and start running,” said Paul Alterio.

Paul Alterio and Chris Kersey are in the area for work, and before the sun rose, they sprung into action from across the street. Paul said he ran after the suspect, who police identified as Christopher Williams.

“I caught up to him and was basically able to visualize everything, and he jumped the fence, at which time, they were yelling, ‘Stop’ because we didn’t know if he had a weapon or anything,” Alterio said.

Chris said he ran towards the victim, a 47-year-old woman.

“He had her in a choke hold, so when she came up, she was talking gibberish. I said, ‘Are you foreign? Do you speak English?’ And she started speaking English. I think he had her in such a tight hold that he cut her oxygen off, and it made her delirious,” Kersey said.

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Gulfport Police said people are good about calling them when something isn’t right but that it’s rare to see people actually jump in to help.

“The fact that they ran into that not knowing if the suspect was armed or if they were putting themselves at risk because somebody was in desperate need of help. My hats off to them,” said Sergeant Jesse Kellington.

Kellington, who was the patrol Sergeant on shift when the calls came in, said one of their K-9 officers found Williams a few blocks over.

He has been charged with attempted sexual battery.

“Within 10 minutes of the call, we had him within custody,” said the Sergeant.

He said there is no concern for the public’s safety.

“Our beachfront is pretty laid back. There’s an ordinance where the beachfront itself is closed from midnight to 4 a.m., and officers are out there checking it pretty routinely throughout the night,” he said.

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Both men said they were glad they were in the right place at the right time.

“Definitely proud that we were able to stop that situation. I have two daughters, and if my daughters were in that situation, I would want someone to do the same thing,” said both Alterio and Kersey.

“She actually got my number and put me in her phone as ‘angel,’” Alterio said.

Gulfport Police said Williams has a bond set at $500,000 and that he is still in jail.

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