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Swords these days can do little when faced with a rifle but apparently they can still be good for saving damsels in distress, as one “Game of Thrones” fan demonstrated.
Twenty five-year old software consultant Mac Dolan woke up at 5 a.m. one day to the screaming of a woman, a guest in his apartment at Wicker Park, Chicago. He walked into the living room to find a man punching, choking and attempting to undress the female guest who had been sleeping on Dolan’s couch for the night. Dolan then grabbed his 44-inch long, 10-pound sword and went to the woman’s rescue, reports Chicago Sun-Times.
“I saw the guy standing over her, and she was kicking and screaming,” Dolan said in the report. “And I just started yelling and running at the guy basically and grabbed the sword that we have on the wall and chased him toward the back stairs.”
The attacker, surprised by the sight of a screaming man with a sword moving towards him, took a moment to understand what was happening.
According to Dolan, “He didn’t really start running until he saw me grab the sword.”
The attacker quickly ran downstairs after dodging a sword swing. Dolan then went back to check on the woman and proceeded to call 911. He also woke up a visiting friend who had been soundly sleeping just several feet away on another couch.
“While we were waiting for police to arrive, I found the guy’s wallet on the ground,” said Dolan. “It must have fallen out of his pocket. I found a Carolina Panthers hat, too.”
The assailant, identified as 39-year-old Francisco Chavez, was later arrested when he tried to report the supposed theft of his wallet. By that time, Dolan had already filed a report and police officers saw the wanted notice when they ran Chavez’s name through the system.
The sword, together with its wall mount, was purchased around six months prior, during a friend’s birthday celebration at Medieval Times. Dolan and his roommate John Henry Zuercher bought the sword. Medieval Times is a restaurant-theater that features jousting and other knightly activities to entertain guests as they eat dinner.
According to Dolan and Zuercher, “We need it!” was the first reaction they had after first seeing the sword.
“We’re ‘Game of Thrones’ guys,” said Zuercher.
Dolan added, “It’s kind of funny because we have pretty frequent conversations about using the sword if someone breaks in.” Alfred Bayle/JB