The Making of a Hero

"I saw him stabbing him. Over and over again."

Forklift operator Donny Hopkins has trouble sleeping, even though weeks have passed since an act of heroism launched him into the spotlight.

Hopkins interrupted an attack on a homeless man at a Carl's Jr. parking lot last month in Anaheim.

"I was in CVS. I was next in line when a gentleman comes running in saying he needs help, that the serial killer is outside stabbing somebody," Hopkins said. "That's when just I dropped all my stuff and ran outside."

Hopkins chased the attacker and led police to his hideout.

Suspect Izcoatl Ocampo is now in jail, accused of killing four homeless men and two others.

For his actions, Hopkins received a $5,000 from a law enforcement foundation.

"We just offered the reward that morning and that night the killer, the alleged killer, was in custody," said Kimberly Edds, of the Association of Orange County Sheriffs. "It's a wonderful thing for our organization to honor someone of the caliber of Donny Hopkins, who honestly is a true hero."

Hopkins recognized victim John Barry as a parking lot regular, and he knew from news reports that someone had already killed three homeless men.

"I knew it was John. I don't know if that's why I reacted so quick, and just ran out there, but I did know it was him," Hopkins said. "I wanted to stop it. Do whatever I can to stop it, if that meant tackling the guy? I don't know what would have happened if I had got close enough to do anything. I just knew I was gonna do something."

Los Angeles repo man Joe Collins understands the instinct that propelled Donny Hopkins.

Rolling in his tow truck two years ago, Collins saw a woman running after a man and the man was carrying a pocketbook. Collins caught the purse-snatching suspect and sat on him for police.

"He tried to get away, and so I held him and had to throw him down to the ground, and had to hold him there a little while longer. Then two other guys came over, and they were pretty upset about the whole thing. They wanted to beat him up," Collins said. "That led to another conversation which they finally agreed just to leave him alone, 'cause they didn't want to go to jail with him."

Collins acted despite the fact that the purse-snatching suspect could had a weapon.

"If anybody deserves the credit it would probably be my parents. They're the ones that, more or less, set the example for how you're supposed to behave," Collins said. "My dad used to tell me that every now and then you have to step up and be counted. No matter what."

Collins later learned from the grateful victim that there was more at stake than her purse.

"It had all of her money that she had. She was at the bus stop going to work, her first day on the job. It was a pretty big deal for her," he said.

LA County DA Steve Cooley honored Joe Collins and many others with "Courageous Citizen Awards." But he realized police prefer good witnesses and not good Samaritans.

"In some instances the police will say, don't put yourself in harms' way. Don't put yourself at risk. Don't try and resist someone who's armed, but there's also circumstances where an individual can come to the aid of another, and save that person," Cooley said.

When it comes to crime fighting, the DA admitted that many people won't even pick up the phone.

"There's many, many cases out there where individuals know who the perpetrator is, who the shooter is, who the murderer is, who the killer is, who the rapist is, and they don't come forward," Cooley said. "They're not courageous. They're not good citizens. They're part of the problem."

Joe Collins, the repo man, was unfazed by his good deeds and is back at work repossessing cars.

But Donny Hopkins, the forklift operator, is in therapy and between jobs.

Still, he said he wouldn't think twice if he witnessed another crime.

"Just try to help," Hopkins said. "I know it's not a good idea to always put yourself in danger, but as human beings that what we're here to do. You see somebody get hurt, you've got to try to help 'em."

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