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Pair accused of assaulting homeless man, Good Samaritan, turn themselves in

Doug Thomas was attacked while attempting to defend a homeless man from an assault. Austin Siragusa / Global News

Two young men have turned themselves in after being accused of attacking a homeless man sleeping in a bus shelter, and the Good Samaritan who came to save him.

Doug Thomas was in a drive-thru line at the A&W at Portage Avenue and Tylehurst Street on Oct. 13 just after 2 a.m. when he spotted two people attacking a man sleeping in a nearby bus shelter.

Thomas ran over to intervene, and instead the pair turned on him, he said.

“I just jumped out of the car and ran there because I wanted to intervene,” said Thomas. “He was getting hurt, I could see they weren’t stopping because they were just kicking him.”

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Thomas suffered scratches on his eye and his tear duct was torn, but further testing showed that his eyeball was still intact.

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“Even though I got hurt, I chose to step in, I chose to intervene, I didn’t want that man to be hurt. I would absolutely do it again.”

WATCH: Winnipeg man saved from bus shelter beating grateful ‘forever’

Click to play video: 'Winnipeg man saved from bus shelter beating grateful ‘forever’'
Winnipeg man saved from bus shelter beating grateful ‘forever’

The person in the bus shelter, who asked us to name him only as Amick, told Global News last week that the pair launched into an attack without provocation.

“I just kind of leaned over my tarp and noticed two people and thought nothing of it, then I heard them say ‘Let’s sing him a lullaby before we do this’,” Amick said.

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Global News tracked Amick down and arranged for him and Thomas to reunite on Nov. 16.

WATCH: The Good Samaritan and the homeless man he stepped in to save from a beating in a Polo Park bus shelter meet

Click to play video: 'Bus shelter beating victim and Good Samaritan meet'
Bus shelter beating victim and Good Samaritan meet

When they met, they shook hands, spoke for a while then gave each other a hug.

“I’ve been wondering how he’s been doing, I’ve always wondered if he’s okay,” Thomas said.

The Major Crimes Unit identified two suspects, who turned themselves in on Nov. 20. The pair of brothers, aged 18 and 20, were charged with aggravated assault and released on a promise to appear.

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