Crime Highway Patrol Cop Brutally Beaten on Street Before Being Saved by 3 Good Samaritans "I think about my kids at that moment," Everardo Navarro told CBS. "And at the same time, I did think the officer may have a family as well"ByMarisa SullivanMarisa SullivanInstagramTwitterDigital News WriterPeople Editorial GuidelinesPublished on May 25, 2023 02:40 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Getty A Good Samaritan came to the defense of a California Highway Patrolman who was getting severely beaten by another man in Santa Ana on Friday, according to multiple reports. Speaking with CBS News on Tuesday, Everardo Navarro described jumping in to save the officer. "I think about my kids at that moment," Navarro, 42, told CBS. "And at the same time, I did think the officer may have a family as well." "Like he actually grabbed his bike, the officer's bike," added Navarro. The CHP told CBS that two officers on motorcycles approached a man — identified by authorities as Jaime Balderas Paniagua, 34, of Santa Ana, according to the L.A. Times — yelling at passersby near an exit on the I-5 freeway. After giving him a warning, one of the officers left, but Paniagua allegedly got into a scuffle with the other officer, eventually getting on top of them as the two fell to the ground. PEOPLE reached out to Everardo Navarro and the California Highway Patrol for comment on the altercation. Friday's incident was captured on video and shared with PPV Tahoe news site, which posted the footage Monday on Instagram. "I punched the guy in the ribs but it felt like nothing," Navarro continued to CBS News. "He just continued grabbing the officer down. At that moment, my only concern was to avoid the person from grabbing the officer's gun." Two other men jumped in after Navarro and they were able to wrestle the suspect off the officer, who reportedly suffered minor injuries. Paniagua sustained injuries to his face and was hospitalized. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Per ABC 7, Paniagua was booked in Orange County jail on assault with a peace officer and resisting arrest charges. It was not immediately clear if he has entered a plea Navarro said the officer "said thank you at least five, six times." Navarro added: "I could sense that he was being very honest from his heart that he knew what type of risk he was going through."