Among countless stories about angry rioters smashing windows, looting stores and assaulting Canucks fans, tales of selfless Good Samaritans are rising from the ashes of the Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver.
Chris Leveille suffered a crushed lung and other serious injuries when he tried to protect a Budget Car Rental and stop the senseless violence unfolding in front of him on downtown streets on Wednesday night.
Leveille was thrown to the ground and was repeatedly punched and kicked after trying to reason with the angry mob in front of the store.
Dave Lamontagne, a volunteer first responder who happened to be in the crowd, rushed in to help the injured man. Lamontagne said Leveille kept saying he couldn't breathe.
"I didn't have any first aid gear on me. The only thing I can do is try to bring him with me and get some help," he told CTV News.
He and a few others dragged a semi-conscious Leveille towards St. Paul's Hospital on Burrard Street, four blocks away.
Leveille said there were no ambulances in sight and it was nearly impossible to fight through the crowds.
"On the way it was just chaos," he said.
Lamontagne said they passed several car fires and one burning business. They were still dragging their patient towards safety when an SUV stopped and told them to throw Chris into the trunk.
"Me and my friend Hanna jumped in the back and rushed Chris to the hospital," he said.
After an assessment, it was determined that the young man suffered a crushed lung and several deep lacerations. He was listed in serious condition.
Leveille said he woke up down the road from the Budget with about five people standing in a circle around him, trying to help.
"I owe a lot of thanks and I will get a hold of them," he promised.
Speaking to CTV News with Leveille's bloodied jersey in his hands, Lamontagne said he admires him for what he did.
"[To] step up in front of those people and try to protect our city. We have a beautiful city; why do we want to destroy it? You know, I'm sure he would have done the same thing for me," he said.
His story of selflessness is inspiring, but not unique. CTV News cameras captured video of dozens of regular citizens who thrust themselves into danger's way to protect property that isn't even their own.
One man who threw down a would-be looter at The Bay was swallowed up by the crowd moments later.
Another group of men was seen surrounding a pickup truck to keep a growing mob at bay. But before long the people started assaulting those who were just trying to stop the madness.
One man furiously tried to remove burning material from the truck's cab before being attacked by at least a dozen men.
Afterwards, he lamented the damage inflicted on the city.
"We don't need this black eye. We went through this in ‘94. We don't need this garbage again," he told CTV's Rob Brown with blood running down his forehead.
CAUTION – video contains offensive language and disturbing images
