17-year-old Malyk Bonnet from Montreal was hailed as a hero by police officers from Laval, Que., for his bravery that led to the rescue of a kidnapped woman.
CBC reported that Bonnet didn't think of himself as a hero at that time.
"Now I realize what I did and wow ... it's really awesome. I mean, I saved a life!" Bonnet said.
Bonnet happened to be on his way home to the north end of Montreal on August 1 after his shift as a cook in a restaurant when he noticed a man and a woman fighting on the street.
"The guy was screaming at her, the girl. He wasn't really gentle with her, and I started watching, because I thought he would hit her, so I approached them a little bit," Bonnet said.
The couple asked him money for fare going to Laval. According to NBC, Bonnet agreed and went to a nearby convenience store to break his bills.
Bonnet didn't want to leave the woman, so he told them that he was also on his way home to Laval so he could accompany them.
"My plan was to keep them in a public place where he wouldn't hurt her. I decided to be friendly with the man and have him think I was his friend. I played my game and he seemed to trust me," said Bonnet.
Bonnet was waiting for an opportunity to contact the police and ask for help.
Able to get the man's trust, Bonnet accompanied them to Laval. Upon arrival, he offered them dinner.
Pretending to go to the washroom, he then found an opportunity to call the police.
"I borrowed a cell phone from someone because mine had died and told police that it was an emergency, that someone had been kidnapped and were at this restaurant," said Bonnet. The police arrived shortly after.
What Bonnet didn't know was that earlier that day, the girl's family had reported her as missing, and the police had already been looking for the couple.
Lt. Daniel Guerin of the Laval Police Department said, "We had been looking for a 29-year-old woman who had been reported kidnapped by her former boyfriend."
Guerin further told NBC that they were aware that the man was unstable. "He was recently in jail for violence and had been found guilty of assault and death threats against her," he adds.
Because of what the 17-year-old did, Bonnet made headlines in Canada. His story was even published in the front page of the Journal de Montreal.
The police gave him more than $250 for his expenses. Bonnet, who admittedly had run-ins with the law in the past, said that he had a newfound respect for the work that the police do.
