Off-duty Victoria police officers praised for intervening in sex assault in Hawaii

Two off-duty Victoria police officers on holiday in Hawaiiare being hailed for intervening in a sex assault.

Victoria police Chief Del Manak said constablesHayley Swann and Brent Keddell were on a morning jog in a park in Kona, HawaiiDec. 20 when they heard screaming.

Manak said the two officers followed the sound and discovered a man walking away from two womenin distress, one of whom was injured. Manak said a male witness"in a state of panic" wascalling 911.

Manak said Swann, who is assigned to the domestic violence unit in Victoria, immediately assisted the women, while Keddellassisted the witness and helped him provide important details and location co-ordinates to the local authorities by phone.

"The officer'sinstincts kicked in right away and [he] was able to calm down the person calling 911," said Manak, adding multiple units responded to the scene because the witness was able to explain the severity of the situation.

The police chief said Keddell also approached the male suspect cautiously, unsure if he had a weapon and the state of his mental health andkept eyes on him untilHawaiian police were able to arrest the man when they arrived.

Manak said he is "super proud" ofSwann and Keddell, who between them have a combined 40 years of police service.

"It speaks to their professionalism and empathy," he said."I am just extremely thankful for the officers for stepping in and doing what they did and basically saving what could have been a far more violent attack."

Manakconfirmed Hawaiian authorities have charged Justin Bardwell with sex assault and kidnapping.

According to Manak, apreliminary hearing was held in Hawaii on Dec. 24 before Swann and Keddell returned from vacation, so they could provide critical evidence to the court.