2 Officers to Be Honored for Saving Woman, Daughter

Two Santa Monica College police officers who rescued a woman and her 2-year-old daughter from a suicidal, ax-wielding man this month will be honored next week for their actions.

When California Peace Officers Willie Malone, 47, and Mike Champagne, 31, arrived at the scene July 6 after hearing the call go out on the Santa Monica police radio, they saw a man bent over a women he had drenched with gasoline, trying to ignite her with a cigarette lighter. The lighter didn’t work so the assailant picked up the woman’s 2-year-old daughter and held her in one hand and a long-handled ax in the other.

“If we had not arrived when we did, the woman would have been dead and the baby might have been kidnapped,” Champagne said.

For four blocks they followed the man whom police said had once been taken in as a gesture of kindness by the victim, Yu Ling Tyson, 33, and her husband. As they followed, the attacker took the ax and moved it in a sawing motion on the girl, causing an eight-inch gash. The officers had their handguns out, but didn’t fire because the girl was in the way. All the while, the attacker urged officers to kill him or he would kill the girl.

When Santa Monica police arrived, they formed a circle around the man and child. Seizing an opportunity, Malone charged in. “I holstered my gun and I rushed in and grabbed the ax.”

The suspect, Kenneth Wisinski, 23, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, arson, burglary and kidnapping.