Ben's Chili Bowl employees being hailed as heroes for stepping in during brutal attack

WASHINGTON - What would you do if you saw someone being attacked? Would you run away? Scream for help? Would you rush in to help?

Back on June 8, a D.C. man was jumped in an alley next to Ben's Chili Bowl. Several suspects beat the victim so badly that his eye socket was broken and he needed many stitches.

The whole incident was caught on the restaurant's surveillance camera. It happened at 6 p.m. as the man walked through the alley.

His injuries were so bad that the doctors told him the attackers may have been holding keys as they punched him.

The beating may have been worse if it weren't for Juan Roman Carrasco and his fellow co-worker named Pedro -- two Ben's Chili Bowl cooks who were in the parking lot at the time of the attack.

"When I saw the two guys, they came in behind the guy and he jumped him over here behind the steps," said Carrasco. "When I saw it, I told my friend, 'Hey, look at this.'"

Carrasco and Pedro sprang into action as they both pulled their belts off to use as weapons.

Why did Carrasco decide to step in?

"Because if you see something happen, you need to bring the help," he said.

He also told us another reason is because he was brutally attacked eight years ago. In his case, he was beaten so badly by three men that he had to spend a week in the hospital.

Ben's Chili Bowl owner Virginia Ali called the two cooks her stars. She couldn't be more proud of them as she watched the video.

Following the attack, Ali sent flowers to Lance, the victim who had to be taken away in an ambulance.

"Because I was so concerned about how deep this injury was," she said. "He could have lost an eye."

As she cheers on her hero employees, she said something has to be done to stop these attacks.

"We need to find someone way to get rid of this crime," said Ali. "The crime in this city is just awful."