Good Samaritan Helps Woman Escape Domestic Violence in Alhambra Using Hand Signal

Authorities in Southern California say a Good Samaritan helped a woman escape a domestic violence situation after she discreetly used a hand signal for help. The incident happened at a 7-11 on Fremont and Montezuma avenues in Alhambra and was partly captured on police body camera video.

The video, released by Alhambra police Sunday night, shows a man and woman standing side by side. Officers say the woman used a hand gesture behind her back, signaling she was in danger. A Good Samaritan recognized the gesture and immediately called 911.

Domestic violence advocates say this quick action highlights the importance of nonverbal communication. “The fact that someone understood what the message was is amazing to me,” said Carmen McDonald with the Survivor Justice Center in Los Angeles. She added that her team now plans to integrate the signal into their safety planning with survivors.

Police later identified the suspect as John Palumbi of Glendora. When officers attempted to pat him down, Palumbi fled but was quickly tackled and taken into custody. Authorities say he was carrying a stun gun and had an active warrant.

The Signal for Help was created by the Canadian Women’s Foundation in 2020. It allows someone experiencing domestic violence to communicate discreetly by tucking their thumb into their palm and folding their fingers over it.

Cristina Cortez with the Downtown Women’s Center noted that awareness of the signal is especially timely with Domestic Violence Awareness Month coming up in October. She stressed that domestic violence is not only an interpersonal issue but also a public health crisis, and education can help save lives.

“It’s really cool that somebody took the initiative to be like, OK, something’s off here. Let me see if I can help,” Cortez said. “If we do that more often, I think we can get closer to hopefully eradicating violence.”

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