Dev Patel Stopped Knife Fight Outside Convenience Store: He 'Acted on His Natural Instinct'

Dev Patel intervened in a violent altercation Monday, successfully helping to stop a knife attack.

The incident happened in Adelaide, Australia, according to a report from local outlet 7News. The 32-year-old Green Knight actor was spotted talking with police at about 8:45 p.m. (Patel's girlfriend Tilda Cobham-Hervey was born in Adelaide.)

In a statement to Variety, Patel's rep confirmed that he and his friends stepped in to stop the fight, which 7News reported was between a man and a woman on the street.

"We can confirm that last night, in Adelaide, Dev Patel and his friends witnessed a violent altercation that was already in progress outside of a convenience store. Dev acted on his natural instinct to try and de-escalate the situation and break up the fight," Patel's rep said. "The group was thankfully successful in doing so and they remained on site to ensure that the police and eventually the ambulance arrived."

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They added, "There are no heroes in this situation and sadly this specific incident highlights a larger systemic issue of marginalized members of society not being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve."

"The hope is that the same level of media attention this story is receiving (solely because Dev, as a famous person, was involved) can be a catalyst for lawmakers to be compassionate in determining long-term solutions to help not only the individuals who were involved but the community at large."

Reps for Patel and a spokesperson for the South Australia Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment.

According to 7News, the woman, 34, stabbed the man, 32, in the chest and he was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The woman was reportedly arrested and charged with aggravated assault without bail, with a court appearance set for Tuesday. Police said, per the outlet, that the attack was not random and that the two knew each other.