A waiter in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who left his shift to rescue a woman being attacked by an armed carjacker was fired after the heroic effort.

Police said a 22-year-old woman was attacked by a knife-wielding man outside the 84 Thai Food restaurant in the Southland Shopping Center on Monday.

Restaurant waiter Juan Canales spotted the attack and ran to help.

Canales said he tackled the culprit, who police identified as Albert Means, and held him until police could arrive.

However, when Canales went back to work, he said his boss terminated him.

"He told me you're dismissed, you're fired," Canales said. "And I looked him and I said, 'Are you serious?' (He said) go get out of here, you're fired."

"Did he give you a specific reason why?" the reporter asked.

"No, he did not," Canales said.

The woman he saved, Massiel Marquartdt, said she did not understand why Canales was fired.

"I couldn't believe that after he's done something so noble, they would actually go ahead and fire him," Marquartdt said.

The restaurant manager said Canales may be a hero but he just wasn't that good of an employee.

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