The security guard suffered injuries during this heroic act at A Taste of Colorado on Sunday night. A GoFundMe has been created to help with his medical bills.

A Taste of Colorado was an overall success this year, but there were some mishaps. One major one happened on Sunday night when a suspected drunk driver drove directly into a crowd of people. The driver drove through a barrier placed at 14h Avenue and Broadway and struck one pedestrian causing a leg injury.

Justin Ward is a local security guard with Diamond Standard Events and was near the area when the incident happened Sunday night. He saw the SUV heading right for the festival and acted fast to get a young boy in front of him out of the way of the vehicle. Ward then chased the vehicle and was able to jump in through a window and grab the gearshift, before wrestling the driver out of the car as he started to head for the crowds and vendors at A Taste of Colorado.

Ward held the man until police arrived, taking punches as the driver fought him off. When police arrived, Samuel Cone was arrested on suspicion of careless driving resulting in a crash.

Police reported that Cones' eyes were watery, he was mumbling, off-balance, and smelled of alcohol at the scene. He was not given a field sobriety test, however, upon arrest, he was taken to Denver Health Medical Center and given a blood test. The results are still pending.

Ward saw the driver coming and made the decision to step in and prevent the situation from further tragedy, and likely saved lives in the process. As a security guard, he has training on how to handle situations that present a possible danger to others and did not hesitate to step up and act. He suffered a broken rib and lost his wallet, and now has hospital bills to pay.

Justin Ward’s employer, Kris Hammon, has organized a GoFundMe to help Ward cover his medical bills and you can donate here.

This is the second time in just a few weeks a driver has hit a crowd of people in Downtown Denver. Let’s hope this does not become a trend.

All of us here in Denver are grateful for Ward’s quick-thinking and bravery in the face of danger and hope he recovers quickly. We can be glad that things on Sunday night did not get worse and that no one was critically injured.

Let us know what you think about all this and leave a message for this local hero in the comments.