An Ohio man earned praise for some fancy footwork that caused an armed suspect running from police to fall to the ground aiding in his capture.
Police in Columbus, Ohio, released bodycam video showing a bystander watching as a suspect being chased by police neared his position. Suddenly the man takes a quick step backward tripping the running man causing him to fall pell-mell to the ground. The quick-thinking move of the man police called “Bill” aided in the suspect’s capture, ABC News reported.
“[The suspect] was coming my way, so I got in his way,” Bill said. “I heard him hit [the ground] and the gun went sliding out. He went one way, and the gun went another.”
Officers were immediately on the fallen man to take him into custody.
“I just felt as a citizen of this town I had a responsibility to act and to help,” Bill added.
The incident happened outside the West Columbus library on April 3.
One amused officer noted how the bystander obviously seemed to time his move. “You can tell he’s timing it out perfectly. He made the decision [to stick his leg out] early, and it’s great watching that footage,” he said.
Police recovered a 9mm pistol loaded with 29 rounds that the suspect allegedly dropped after his fall, NBC reported.
The suspect, who police did not name, was arrested and taken to the Franklin County Jail.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.