Ninjas rescue mugging victim in Kingswood
BY RODERICK SHAW
20 May, 2010 11:48 AM
NINJA martial arts students rescued a medical student from being bashed and mugged in Kingswood on Tuesday night.Three men set upon the student, a young man from Germany, in Rodgers Street at about 9.45pm.
However, they were almost opposite Kingswood's Ninja Senshi Ryu Ninja Warrior School.
''One of my students called me; he said, someone's getting mugged,'' the school's sensei, or head instructor, Kaylan Soto said.
About a dozen ninjas in martial arts dress then ran out towards the mugging.
''When they saw us they ran away, as far away as they could,'' Mr Soto said.
''We stayed and attended to the guy they mugged; he got kicked in the head a few times.''
The man had his mobile phone and ipod stolen.
Mr Soto said if they had not intervened, his assailants would probably have seriously injured the young man and stolen his laptop and passport as well.
Another ninja, Stephen Ashley, said they chased the muggers towards a cross street.
''They ran across the road without looking,'' he said.
''They could have been hit by a truck, but they were more scared of us.''
The student, who did not want to speak to the media, had earlier been approached by the men on a train that night.
When he left the train at Kingswood, they followed him and attacked him in Rodgers Street.
Mr Ashley said when they talked to the medical student afterwards, they felt a terrible sadness.
''That young guy has dedicated his life to helping people and this happens to him,'' he said.
Despite that, he said there was a slightly funny side to ninjas in uniform suddenly confronting muggers caught in the act.
''It feels a little bit slap-stick, because you couldn't have scripted what happened,'' Mr Ashley said.
''There's not much light in Rodgers Street; as muggers they did everything right, except they didn't know ninjas were here.''
Mr Soto said the episode showed how important it was that people help others in trouble.
''We always say, live life to the full and help one another,'' he said.
Police have made some arrests in relation to the assault, but no more information is available at this time.
The Sydney West Area Health Service said the student was not seriously hurt and will return to Germany this Saturday.
