Citizens came to the aid of a young boy being held hostage on JC Penney's skybridge on Thursday after the boy was grabbed and held at knife-point by 27-year-old Raymond Charles Katchatag.

Katchatag grabbed the 11-year-old boy and ordered the boy’s mother to hand over her shopping bags saying he would kill the boy if she did not comply.

Good Samaritan citizens, who were nearby, came to the aid of the mother and the boy, wrestling Katchatag to the ground, disarming him. The bystanders kept him subdued until Mall Security could assist, then waited for the Anchorage Police Department to respond to the scene. Police were called at approximately 4:50 pm. The young boy suffered a minor wound to his neck as well as a small cut to a finger.

One of the Good Samaritans was a man in Anchorage awaiting the birth of his child and was shopping with his family at the store when the incident occurred. He incurred minor injuries in the scuffle.

When taken into custody by security, Katchatag reportedly asked if he had killed the young boy. He then said that he had killed before.

Further evidence of the crime, in the form of video surrveillance footage was retrieved by the Anchorage police.

Katchatag was arrested and charged with Kidnapping I, Robbery I, and Assault II. he was remanded to the Anchorage Jail.

Court records in Alaska show no cases involving killings in Katchatag’s records, but does show an extensive criminal history that includes prior felonies. Katchatag’s criminal history goes back to the beginning of his adult life.

Katchatag attended Anchorage Jail Court on Friday afternoon. The sometimes smiling Katchatag told Judge Jo-Ann Chung that since being released from jail a week earlier he had made about $600 when asked about his finances. Katchatag was appointed a public defender.

Katchatag’s bail was set at $50,000 corporate plus $10,000 cash performance. He remains at the Anchorage Jail.