Good Samaritan becomes victim of ambush attack on Central Florida expressway

A good Samaritan told WESH 2 he feared for his life as he was assaulted by the man he stopped to help on the side of a Central Florida expressway. Cameras on the victim’s Tesla recorded the ambush attack. “I don’t want to lose my humanity,” Hans Hamilton said. “We’re put on this earth to help each other.”And that’s exactly what Hamilton tried to do Monday morning on the State Road 429 in Winter Garden near Seidel Road. “I saw a car crash,” he said. “I saw a door open. So being a good person, any human being would see you would just pull over to check.”As Hamilton parked his Tesla, video from one of the car’s cameras shows a man in a red T-shirt who appeared to be lying motionless on the ground next to a white Lexus that had slammed into a guardrail. “I rolled down my window,” he said. “‘Hey, are you OK? Are you OK?’ No response. Something. This person is dead, so I open up my car door. Soon as I opened that car door, he was off that ground. So, he was waiting.”The video from the Tesla’s camera shows the man hop on the hood of the car and he starts stomping on the windshield. “That’s on a little incline at 429,” Hamilton said. “He pulled me out of my car. As I was falling backwards, he was jumping off the roof on top of me, and that’s when he started kicking and pummeling me.”A different Tesla camera captured the ambush attack and the man repeatedly punching his head. “I know on the back of my head they counted eight different bumps, plus the kicks to the jaw, which I can finally today, I’m able to eat a thin sandwich, but I still can’t open my mouth all the way,” Hamilton said.Hamilton said the suspect, later identified as 44-year-old Daniel Coman, threatened to take his life. “The whole time he’s hitting me, he’s telling me he’s going to kill me, and he didn’t just tell me,” Hamilton said, “his eyes were void of any humanity. I believed it so when I was fighting, I knew the last thing I was going to see was not that ground.”Hamilton explained how he managed to get off the ground and away from his attacker. “I cannot beat him strength wise,” he said, “so, I have to try to incapacitate him. So, I think I was pummeling his jugular vein in his neck.”Orange County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Coman for battery and criminal mischief for what he did to Hamilton and his car. Coman is also facing charges of resisting with violence as well as assault and battery on the first responding deputy.”He attacks the cop,” Hamilton recalled. “Hops on the ground, rolling. What do I do? Four broken ribs, jump on the ground with the cop, and at that point, somebody ran across the street, across the freeway, and we’re all trying to get this guy cuffed as he’s still fighting.”Hamilton said in addition to the broken ribs, he also suffered a brain bleed, multiple contusions and a concussion. “Physically, the body’s doing what it should do when it’s healing, but it’s very painful,” he said. “Four broken ribs is no joke. Mentally, it’s a little more difficult.”Hamilton said he’s grateful for kindness of strangers who are making donations on his GoFundMe page for his thousands of dollars in auto and medical bills. “So, the point is, there’s still kindness in the world,” he said. “People are donating and don’t even know me, and I’m very thankful.”Hamilton told WESH 2 he’d like the State Attorney’s Office to charge Coman with attempted murder.“In my opinion, the only place you see monsters is on a movie screen or in a box,” he said. “Well, that’s where he belongs. He belongs in a box.”At last check, Coman was still an inmate in the Orange County jail.A judge set his combined bond for his current charges at $5,000.

A good Samaritan told WESH 2 he feared for his life as he was assaulted by the man he stopped to help on the side of a Central Florida expressway.

Cameras on the victim’s Tesla recorded the ambush attack.

“I don’t want to lose my humanity,” Hans Hamilton said. “We’re put on this earth to help each other.”

And that’s exactly what Hamilton tried to do Monday morning on the State Road 429 in Winter Garden near Seidel Road.

“I saw a car crash,” he said. “I saw a door open. So being a good person, any human being would see you would just pull over to check.”

As Hamilton parked his Tesla, video from one of the car’s cameras shows a man in a red T-shirt who appeared to be lying motionless on the ground next to a white Lexus that had slammed into a guardrail.

“I rolled down my window,” he said. “‘Hey, are you OK? Are you OK?’ No response. Something. This person is dead, so I open up my car door. Soon as I opened that car door, he was off that ground. So, he was waiting.”

The video from the Tesla’s camera shows the man hop on the hood of the car and he starts stomping on the windshield.

“That’s on a little incline at 429,” Hamilton said. “He pulled me out of my car. As I was falling backwards, he was jumping off the roof on top of me, and that’s when he started kicking and pummeling me.”

A different Tesla camera captured the ambush attack and the man repeatedly punching his head.

“I know on the back of my head they counted eight different bumps, plus the kicks to the jaw, which I can finally today, I’m able to eat a thin sandwich, but I still can’t open my mouth all the way,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton said the suspect, later identified as 44-year-old Daniel Coman, threatened to take his life.

“The whole time he’s hitting me, he’s telling me he’s going to kill me, and he didn’t just tell me,” Hamilton said, “his eyes were void of any humanity. I believed it so when I was fighting, I knew the last thing I was going to see was not that ground.”

Hamilton explained how he managed to get off the ground and away from his attacker.

“I cannot beat him strength wise,” he said, “so, I have to try to incapacitate him. So, I think I was pummeling his jugular vein in his neck.”

Orange County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Coman for battery and criminal mischief for what he did to Hamilton and his car.

Coman is also facing charges of resisting with violence as well as assault and battery on the first responding deputy.

“He attacks the cop,” Hamilton recalled. “Hops on the ground, rolling. What do I do? Four broken ribs, jump on the ground with the cop, and at that point, somebody ran across the street, across the freeway, and we’re all trying to get this guy cuffed as he’s still fighting.”

Hamilton said in addition to the broken ribs, he also suffered a brain bleed, multiple contusions and a concussion.

“Physically, the body’s doing what it should do when it’s healing, but it’s very painful,” he said. “Four broken ribs is no joke. Mentally, it’s a little more difficult.”

Hamilton said he’s grateful for kindness of strangers who are making donations on his GoFundMe page for his thousands of dollars in auto and medical bills.

“So, the point is, there’s still kindness in the world,” he said. “People are donating and don’t even know me, and I’m very thankful.”

Hamilton told WESH 2 he’d like the State Attorney’s Office to charge Coman with attempted murder.

“In my opinion, the only place you see monsters is on a movie screen or in a box,” he said. “Well, that’s where he belongs. He belongs in a box.”

At last check, Coman was still an inmate in the Orange County jail.

A judge set his combined bond for his current charges at $5,000.