Police say junior Cristian Garcia helped stop a sexual assault in midtown early Thursday.
By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Late in Florida's bowl game last January, long after the outcome had been decided, walk-on linebacker Cristian Garcia was put into his first college football game and even made a tackle. Dream come true, right?
This week, though, Garcia made like a real football hero.
Garcia
A fourth-year junior from Miami, Garcia was working early Thursday morning at 101 Cantina, a popular night spot on University Avenue, when police say he helped stop an assault behind the club. Garcia, according to Gainesville Police Department, was one of two witnesses who saw a man sexually assaulting a woman behind a dumpster near the midtown club around 2:20 a.m.
"The girl was basically unconscious," Garcia told First Coast News. "So I knew there was no way she could be giving consent."
Garcia approached the man, grabbed him and told him to stop. An altercation ensued and the assailant ran away.
With Garcia's help, police were able to identify the suspect later and arrested Christopher Shaw, 34, who police believe may be a suspect in other assaults.
Last year, Garcia started the football season working in the video department and in the summer went through the process and was granted walk-on status. His lone appearance came in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl when he assisted on two tackles in UF's 41-7 loss to Michigan.
Hopefully the media will talk about the good and not just the bad. Proud to be a teammate of… https://t.co/ufKfojED2l
