Authorities are commending an 85-year-old man for his heroic intervention that prevented a purported kidnapping attempt in rural Medford, Oregon, involving a man posing as a utility worker. The alleged perpetrator, 42-year-old Matthew Hokulii Aranda, a transient from the Medford area, was indicted on May 14 by a Jackson County grand jury on ten charges stemming from the May 8 assault.
Investigators reported that Aranda allegedly masqueraded as a utility employee and ‘laid in wait’ for several hours for his 25-year-old victim, a caregiver working at a mobile home park. Upon the woman’s arrival, Aranda reportedly used a Taser to incapacitate her and then physically attacked her. During this critical moment, a nearby 85-year-old resident heard the victim’s screams and confronted the armed assailant, creating an opportunity for the woman to escape to her vehicle, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Aranda then allegedly used the Taser on the elderly good Samaritan before pursuing the woman with a large hunting knife. Despite the pursuit, the victim managed to enter her car. Aranda reportedly jumped onto the hood of her vehicle as she drove away, subsequently falling off and sustaining injuries.
Body-worn camera footage released by the sheriff’s office captured deputies and a K-9 unit locating Aranda hiding in nearby bushes and taking him into custody without further incident. The video shows the suspect telling police his ‘leg is broken’ as he was apprehended.
Aranda faces charges including two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of first-degree attempted kidnapping, one count of second-degree attempted kidnapping, two counts of stalking, unlawful use of a GPS device, unlawful use of a weapon, and menacing. The case remains under active investigation by the sheriff’s office.
