Last April, Daniel Burkhalter, a manager at Blenders in the Grass, was closing the front of the State Street store when he heard a crash and a scream from the back room. A masked man who had burst in through the business's back door was trying to sexually assault one of his employees with a knife to her throat.
Without a moment's hesitation, Burkhalter rushed over and started grappling with 26-year-old Oscar Javier Aguilar-Jimenez while the female employee escaped and called for help. Burkhalter's left hand was slashed in the fight, which was caught on security camera, but he was also able to remove Aguilar-Jimenez's mask and some of his clothing. Using the security camera footage (see below) and evidence at the scene, police later arrested Aguilar-Jimenez. He was sentenced to eight years in prison for the assault.
This Wednesday, Burkhalter and six other Santa Barbara residents were honored with the annual Santa Barbara Police Department’s Extra Step Award, given to citizens who display true acts of civic heroism. The awards, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Santa Barbara, were distributed during a low-key but heartfelt luncheon at the Mesa Café.