Good Samaritan punched in face

A thief punched Ma Mingqun, the former deputy dean of the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, in the mouth after Ma thwarted a purse snatching, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

The 78-year-old Ma saw the man try to steal a woman's purse at Hepingxiqiao Subway Station during the morning rush hour. The angry thief followed Ma and hit him.

No vendors or passers-by helped Ma, until a woman in her 30s intervened and scolded the thief, until he scampered off.

Ma told a few of his students about the incident, and soon his heroic deed was widely known among the university. Ma was unharmed except for a little bleeding around the mouth.