Westchester Father and Daughter Recognized as Heroes

A courageous father and daughter duo from Westchester, who intervened in a life-threatening situation, were celebrated as “resourceful” heroes during an awards ceremony on Wednesday. Their quick actions likely saved a woman from a brutal attack.

“She survived because two strangers, with no prior knowledge of the situation, stepped in to help,” Westchester District Attorney Susan Cacace remarked at the event honoring Armando and Sheila Gramajo.

“They put themselves in harm’s way to stop the attacker. They intervened. They saved her life,” she emphasized.

On May 4, 2024, Armando Gramajo, a bus driver originally from Guatemala, was working on his car at home in White Plains when he heard a woman shouting for help in Spanish.

It turned out the woman was being chased by her husband, Carlos Obed Tovar, who was armed with a knife.

Obed Tovar, provoked by his wife’s conversation with a male coworker, launched a severe assault, stabbing her several times. The attack was so violent that the knife’s handle broke off.

In response, Gramajo shouted “Para! Para!”—an instruction he learned during his time in the Guatemalan military—commanding the attacker to stop.

Remarkably, Obed Tovar halted his attack. Gramajo then called for his daughter, Sheila, to assist the injured woman, who was rapidly losing blood.

Sheila, then a student in training to become a physician’s assistant, rushed out with a towel to apply pressure to the woman’s wounds.

“It could have gone the other way, and I’m really glad it didn’t,” Sheila Gramajo, 25, expressed on Wednesday. “Thankfully, it didn’t escalate further.”

When the attacker tried to flee, Gramajo shouted again, and again, Obed Tovar complied and remained still.

The attacker was later revealed to be a drug enforcement officer from Colombia, and Cacace noted he reacted instinctively to Gramajo’s commands.

The victim, known only as Karolina, was hospitalized and underwent emergency surgery after suffering a total of 35 stab wounds, some of which occurred before she escaped.

During the awards ceremony at the Westchester County Courthouse, Kakas recognized the Gramajos with the inaugural Civilian Hero Award for their “quick thinking, courage, and heroic actions on May 4, 2024.”

Armando Gramajo, who has limited English proficiency, expressed his gratitude after receiving the award. “Thank God we were there when it happened,” he stated. “Thank you so much for organizing this ceremony for us.”

Karolina, whose vocal cords were damaged during the assault, thanked the father and daughter during the event through a statement read by an assistant district attorney.

“They represent the true essence of hope, solidarity, and compassion,” she noted.

Obed Tovar later admitted to attempted second-degree murder and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in August.