Good Samaritan Explains Why He Took On An Entire Armed Gang To Protect Brooklyn Teenager

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A stranger risked his life to save a teen from a violent robbery in Brooklyn. The man single-handedly fought off an entire group of suspects.

So why did he do it?

On Sunday night, he spoke with CBS2's Reena Roy.

Surveillance video shows the moments a 17-year-old rides his moped at Knickerbocker and Jefferson avenues when a group of robbers suddenly shows up.

One punched the teen in the face. He is then seen running into a store for help and they try to follow.

That's when customer Vincent Millan stepped in.

"First it was one guy, then all of a sudden it was two. They had weapons in their hands. They were intent on coming in," Millan said.

He held the door shut, keeping them out, and then shooed them away on the sidewalk with his bike seat.

He was outnumbered but determined to keep that teen safe.

"I had this in my hand and whatever I had bought and I was asking them, 'What's going on?'" he said of the bike seat. "They were hitting me in face with metal rods, bats, whatever they had in their hands. They were relentless in their pursuit of this guy."

And ruthless with their beating. Millan ended up at the hospital with deep gashes all over his body, all in defense of the teen who he recognized from his Brooklyn block. Millan said he when he saw the situation unfold he immediately remembered the murder of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz. The 15-year-old's death gained national attention after he was fatally attacked with a machete by alleged gang members at a Bronx bodega last summer.

This past Thursday evening, Millan knew he had to help.

"There's no way I could just stand silent and let him get the beating that I knew  ... I got the beating he was going to get," Millan said. "It was an instinct thing to do, but I'd do it over again."

Police said the five suspects ran off with the moped as Millan made sure that teenager was okay.

"If I see another person in danger I'll step up because I'm a human being. It's not about a hero. It's about being a human being," Millan said.

Police were able to find the moped nearby. A 26-year-old and 16-year-old have been arrested in this case and they are now facing a slew of charges. meanwhile, the other three suspects are still on the loose.