The screams of a woman brought 4 Good Samaritans to her aid last Thursday in downtown Cincinnati. The woman, an attorney whose identity is being protected, screamed that someone had taken her purse. She had been walking westbound along E. Seventh Street at about 11 a.m. A man came up from behind and grabbed her purse which he detached from a pull-behind briefcase.

The man took off in a southbound direction on Ruth Lyons Alley, a busy area that connects Sixth and Seventh streets. He was spotted with the handbag as he ran by David Ginsberg, the head of Cincinnati Downtown, Inc. Ginsberg was on his way to an appointment when he heard the commotion and spotted the suspect.

He heard the woman saying ‘stop him, stop him, he stole my purse.’ Another man acted without hesitation and =gave chase, tackling the suspect to the ground. Ginsberg had also been chasing the man. When he reached him, he got on top of the man, Shane Wilkins, 35 and beckoned 2 other men to help.

Together, the 4 men held the 5-foot, 11-inch and 150 pound Wilkins at bay until the Cincinnati police and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene. The suspect was then handcuffed and taken into custody.

All of the victim’s belongings were recovered intact, including $500 in cash, several credit cards and other papers.

Though Ginsberg and the others knew they were putting themselves at risk, they believed it was the right thing to do. Ginsberg said he knew since there were enough of them to control the man, they could keep his hands on the ground and nothing dangerous could happen.

Wilkins was arraigned Friday and in spite of his attorney arguing for a misdemeanor charge on the basis of the amount of cash involved, the judge ruled it a felony because of the credit cards. Bail was set at $50,000.

The Atkins family – Andy, wife Jenny and son Logan were enjoying an air tour of the tiny island of Roatan in the Honduras when their worst nightmare became real. The plane’s engine died and the plane crashed into the sea. In spite of the terrifying turn of events, fate was smiling on the family from Dallas, Texas because help was nearby. Passengers from a nearby boat saw the crash and sped to the scene, diving into the water upon arrival to assist in the rescue. A second boat also arrived quickly. Onboard were two doctors who were able to treat the crash victims immediately.

The presence of the doctors may have been what saved the day. Atkins told Savannah Guthrie of TODAY that he shudders to think what might have happened to his wife and son without the assistance of the doctors.

Atkins had taken the same flight a few weeks earlier with college chums and felt comfortable taking his family. There was no time to even realize there was a problem as the plane was just a few hundred feet above the water when disaster struck. It took several seconds before Atkins realized they had crashed and he needed to move before he drowned.

The pilot freed Atkins from his seat restraints and helped him to the surface. Atkins dove back down in search of his wife and 4 year-old son but needed to resurface for air and dive a second time. When he reached them, the pilot was already freeing them from their seats. Atkins describes how his wife used her last bit of consciousness to push their son to him. He surfaced with the boy just as she surfaced.

Passengers in the first boat to arrive jumped in to help the family. The timing was nothing short of miraculous. Had the boats not been in the vicinity, the accident could have been much worse. The family was placed on the back of the boat and the doctors went to work, providing oxygen and other care as the boat sped to shore. The family stayed in the hospital for four days before returning to Texas where they continue to recover.

The family’s near miss also provided something else, a second chance and reaffirmation of faith in humanity, according to Atkins. Humbled by the number of people who stepped up to help during the crisis, he says they will be looking for opportunities to help others in their time of need. They feel a bond with the local people in Roatan and intend to return in the future, sans the air plane rides.