Cyber Week Sale! 50% Off All Access

Viral Video Captures Chick-fil-A Employee Stopping a Carjacking — And It's Not the First Time He's Come to a Customer's Rescue The perpetrator has been charged with battery and carjacking with a weapon.

By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas

A woman was taking her baby out of her car at a Chick-fil-A in Fort Walton Beach, Florida on Wednesday when she was approached by a man with a stick attempting to steal her vehicle.

But Chick-fil-A employee Mykel Gordon didn't hesitate to step in when he heard the woman's screams, Okaloosa County sheriff's office shared via Facebook post, and, per The Washington Post, it's not the first time Gordon has come to a customer's rescue.

Gordon put the man, identified as 43-year-old William Branch, in a headlock to subdue him. The perpetrator punched Gordon in the face during the altercation, but he was not seriously injured, nor were the woman or any bystanders. Branch has been charged with battery and carjacking with a weapon and remained jailed as of early Thursday.

Related: Oh, Rats! Popeyes Forced to Shut Down After Viral Video of Rodent Infestation.

A one-minute video filmed by a bystander captures Gordon's heroic act.

"A major shout-out to this young man for his courage!" the sheriff's office wrote.

Back in September 2018, Gordon responded to another emergency outside of the Fort Walton Beach Chick-fil-A. He was taking orders when a crane fell onto another car with a teenage driver and her friend inside, the Northwest Florida Daily News reported.

Operating on "instinct," Gordon ran to the car to carry one of the girls to safety, and he and other bystanders intervened to help the other girl escape.

Related: Viral Video Exposes Difference In Starbucks Workers' Salaries

Gordon told the paper he'd learned how to react from his stepfather, who was in the military. "When this happened I knew exactly what to do because of him," he said. "I thank God."

Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

'I Just Hustled': She Earned More Than $300,000 Wrapping Gifts Last Year — and It All Started With a Side Hustle

When Michelle Hensley lost her husband to cancer, she needed to figure out how to earn an income for her family.

Business News

Body Language

Password glut got you down? Hackers scoff at password systems, anyway. Is biometrics the answer?

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Growing a Business

This Breakthrough Technology is Poised to Accelerate Your Company's Growth

Discover a breakthrough technology stacked on top of generative AI, now poised to revolutionize businesses across nearly every sector. Unlock unprecedented growth and profitability potential, achieving levels once thought unattainable.