Woman confronts angry brawl, saves man’s life

Like most city-living ladies, I want to believe that I’m the toughest thing to ever walk down the street in a pair of high-heels.

Somebody looks at me wrong? I’ll take ’em out. Somebody tries to steal my purse? I’ll take ’em out. Break up a mob of 12 guys beating an innocent man to a pulp? I’d like to think I’d be that brave.

Thankfully for victim Daren Clarke, 22-year-old Rain Dove of Oakland didn’t have to think twice before intervening on his behalf and keeping Clarke from sustaining fatal injuries.

Dove told the Examiner that she was waiting for the bus last Thursday night at 12th and Broadway when she witnessed a fight break out across the street.

Dove watched the beating escalate as several men ambushed Clarke and began to repeatedly beat him in the head. Dove told the Ex:

“I asked the guy next to me why no one was helping, and he said that there’s an unspoken policy in Oakland that we let things happen and clean up afterwards.”

In a situation where many other wish-they-were-that-tough city chicks might have frozen in their tracks, Dove ran across the street, pulled two of the men off Clarke, and began using her hand to apply pressure to the back of his badly beaten head.

Dove told the Ex about Clarke’s massive head trauma:

“It’s a really humbling feeling when pieces of someone’s brain fall into your hand.”

Witnesses told the Ex many of the assailants began fleeing, shouting crude threats at Dove. One of the men that had been part of the mob, though, actually offered help, going into a nearby store to get Clarke some water.

Oakland Police were not available on Monday to comment to the Ex on the incident.

By the time paramedics arrived, Dove said they informed her that her help will allow Clarke to make a full recovery:

“I just hope that he and his girlfriend are OK and that they get to go on another date.”