The women were hailed as heroes for taking action.

The quick-thinking actions of three women at a restaurant in California, US, have turned a potential crime into a tale of inspiration.



The trio – Sonia Ulrich, Marla Selzer and Monica Kenyon – witnessed a man spiking his date's drink while she went to the toilet.



As Ulrich recounted in a Facebook post: "He pulled her glass toward him, kind of awkwardly, then he took out a little black vial. He opened it up and dropped something in. Then he tried to play it cool."



"After a few 'Oh god. What do we dos', I got up to find her in the bathroom to tell her."



READ MORE:

* Retail chain sorry for ad which promotes date rape

* The nail polish that can detect date rape drugs

* MP recounts 'date-rape and assault' as young woman

* Tinder rape-accused set 'trap' for date, court told



"I approached. 'Hey! Um, this is kind of weird, but, uh, we saw the guy you were with put something in your drink."

"'Oh my god,' she said. Shocked, kind of numb."

The almost-victim then had to endure 40 minutes of agonising chit-chat with someone she considered one of her "best friends" before the police arrived.

The man worked with her, and had known her for a year and a half.

123RF According to a NZ crime survey, 90 per cent of rapists are known to their victims.

He was later apprehended.

The Santa Monica Police Department has confirmed the man in question is in custody on a US$1 million bail.

Agency Manager for Wellington Rape Crisis Eleanor Butterworth "absolutely applauds" the women's actions.

"Intervening in these situations, in a way you feel safe, is really awesome. It's about being an ethical bystander ... knowing what you can do to prevent harm, as long as you're safe doing it."

Butterworth recommends telling managers or bouncers if you don't feel comfortable intervening directly.

While it might seem shocking that a "best friend" would be capable of such egregious behaviour, according to the New Zealand National Survey of Crime Victims, 90 per cent of rapists are known to their victims.

* Comments on this story have now been closed.

Sign up to receive our new evening newsletter Two Minutes of Stuff – the news, but different.