Actor Dev Patel isn’t just a man of action on the big screen.
On Monday night local time in Australia, Patel, known for his roles in movies like “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Lion,” intervened on what his representatives call “a violent altercation” and successfully deescalated the situation.
The incident occurred in the city of Adelaide around 8:45 p.m. on August 1, according to a press release from South Australia Police. The altercation involved a woman and a man, who began fighting in the street and then continued doing so inside a nearby service station “where witnesses attempted to break up the fight,” the statement said.
The woman then allegedly stabbed the man in the chest.
A 32-year-old man was treated at the scene before being taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
According to his reps, Patel and his friends witnessed the event as it was already in progress.
“Dev acted on his natural instinct to try and de-escalate the situation and break up the fight,” the statement provided to CNN said. “The group was thankfully successful in doing so and they remained on site to ensure that the police and eventually the ambulance arrived. There are no heroes in this situation and sadly this specific incident highlights a larger systemic issue of marginalized members of society not being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
Patel’s representatives added: “The hope is that the same level of media attention this story is receiving (solely because Dev, as a famous person, was involved) can be a catalyst for lawmakers to be compassionate in determining long-term solutions to help not only the individuals who were involved but the community at large.”
Police attended and arrested a 34-year-old woman in connection with the event.
“The pair are known to each other, and this is not a random incident,” the release said. She has been charged with aggravated assault causing harm.