San Marcos man being hailed a hero after aggravated robbery

A San Marcos Man is being hailed a hero after he protected a woman he just met during a violent robbery. He was stabbed five times in the process.

Mason Ellis showed FOX 7 the wounds he suffered during an aggravated robbery.

"It severed two tendons, as well as, caused some nerve damage," Ellis says.

He was stabbed a total of five times in his wrist, cheek and back. This happened in the early morning hours on September 30 in the 100 block of South LBJ. Ellis says he and a woman he met that night were outside talking.

"Two guys basically came along and were being confrontational and sort of bating a confrontation. Things began to escalate and before I knew it, one of the guys had grabbed the girl's wallet and ran off," says Ellis.

Ellis says they were about to call police when the two men came back and began walking directly toward them.

"They were within about 10 or 15 yards and at that point, it seemed like the right thing to do, to try to detain them. So I basically tried to tackle them. At that point, one of the guys had a knife and stabbed me," says Ellis.

San Marcos police responded to the scene just before 3:00 a.m. The two suspects were caught a short time later. 26-year-old Matthew Ryan Felan and 22-year-old Austin Oliver Lang are both in custody on a charge of aggravated robbery. Police say the men admitted to their portion of the crime, which included assaulting and stabbing the victim along with stealing a wallet during the incident.

"At some point they stashed the wallet and the weapon down a storm drain, which police were able to recover," says Ellis. 

A friend of the woman he protected that night reached out to FOX 7, calling him a hero. She says he's the one who now needs the help because of hospital bills and doctor visits. Ellis underwent surgery to restore function to his right hand. Due to the injury, he will not be able to work for at least two months. A GoFundMe page has raised almost $1,000.

"If there's anybody that I feel deserves the spotlight, it's the first responders and the emergency staff, they really deserve the credit here. They're the reason why I'm here today," says Ellis.