Cecil Sleep was wounded while attempting to prevent the abduction of a fellow-worker during an armed robbery on December 21, 1972. The thieves seized the man who was carrying the company payroll and forced him inside a van. The victim struggled with his aggressors and his cries brought Cecil Sleep to the scene. The rescuer jumped onto an open side of the vehicle and engaged in fighting the culprits. In the ensuing scramble, he was shot in the leg and fell to the ground. The hostage was abandoned shortly thereafter.