Two fast-food workers are being hailed as heroes after stepping in to stop three people from beating up one of their customers in the restaurant's drive-thru.
"Absolutely they're heroes," said Mark Ziolek, who was still sporting two black eyes from the weekend attack at a Mr. Submarine restaurant in the Beverly neighborhood on the Southwest Side.
"If they had not acted as quickly as they did, I'd literally be dead for all I know."
Brothers Ernesto and Agustin Romero have been exemplary employees for some eight years and what happened at about 3 a.m. Sunday did nothing to change his impression, said store manager Dan Tzoumas. "They went out of their way to help someone else," he said. "If that's a definition of a hero, they're heros."
Ziolek, who owns a valet parking service, was returning from a job at a fundraiser at Mother McAuley High School along with his girlfriend when they decided to stop for an early morning bite at the restaurant at 10559 S. Western Ave.
Because his car window wasn't working properly, he had to get out to pay his bill and retrieve his order. That's when three people began taunting and harassing him, and eventually attacked him and his girlfriend with fists, police said.
"They demanded my sandwich and money," Ziolek said. "One of them jumped on top of my car and grabbed my head."
Ziolek's girlfriend, Tina Coconate, got out of the car to try to intercede and found herself under attack, too.
That's when the Romero brothers stepped in.
Ernesto, 36, reached out the drive-thru window, grabbed the arm of one of the assailants and pinned him against the wall. Augustin, 33, ran out to come to the aid of both Ziolek and his girlfriend. "I knocked one of the guys," he said, "and my brother ran out too."
The attackers ran across the street, laughing about the encounter, Augustin said. That's when a passing police car stopped and arrested them, he said.
Arrested were Conor Heffernan, 24, of the 3000 block of West 98th Place; William Butler, 20, of the 9000 block of South Central Avenue, and Robert Heffernan, 20, of Kalamazoo, Mich. Each was charged with misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property, said Police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez. They are scheduled to appear in court June 3.
"It was not so much, we've had to do this before three or four times," Augustin said. "There are lots of bars in the neighborhood."
"Absolutely they're heroes," said Mark Ziolek, who was still sporting two black eyes from the weekend attack at a Mr. Submarine restaurant in the Beverly neighborhood on the Southwest Side.
"If they had not acted as quickly as they did, I'd literally be dead for all I know."
Brothers Ernesto and Agustin Romero have been exemplary employees for some eight years and what happened at about 3 a.m. Sunday did nothing to change his impression, said store manager Dan Tzoumas. "They went out of their way to help someone else," he said. "If that's a definition of a hero, they're heros."
Ziolek, who owns a valet parking service, was returning from a job at a fundraiser at Mother McAuley High School along with his girlfriend when they decided to stop for an early morning bite at the restaurant at 10559 S. Western Ave.
Because his car window wasn't working properly, he had to get out to pay his bill and retrieve his order. That's when three people began taunting and harassing him, and eventually attacked him and his girlfriend with fists, police said.
"They demanded my sandwich and money," Ziolek said. "One of them jumped on top of my car and grabbed my head."
Ziolek's girlfriend, Tina Coconate, got out of the car to try to intercede and found herself under attack, too.
That's when the Romero brothers stepped in.
Ernesto, 36, reached out the drive-thru window, grabbed the arm of one of the assailants and pinned him against the wall. Augustin, 33, ran out to come to the aid of both Ziolek and his girlfriend. "I knocked one of the guys," he said, "and my brother ran out too."
The attackers ran across the street, laughing about the encounter, Augustin said. That's when a passing police car stopped and arrested them, he said.
Arrested were Conor Heffernan, 24, of the 3000 block of West 98th Place; William Butler, 20, of the 9000 block of South Central Avenue, and Robert Heffernan, 20, of Kalamazoo, Mich. Each was charged with misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property, said Police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez. They are scheduled to appear in court June 3.
"It was not so much, we've had to do this before three or four times," Augustin said. "There are lots of bars in the neighborhood."
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