An armed suspect has been arrested after a man waiting outside a Columbus, Ohio library in April stuck his foot out, tripping the other man fleeing police.
Video provided by the Columbus Division of Police shows security camera footage of a man stepping out to inspect what was happening April 3 outside the library before sticking his foot out behind him as another man runs past, effectively causing the man to trip and fall forward as a police vehicle pulls up. The man said he was waiting outside for his granddaughter when the incident started to unfold.
“I come out of the library, heard police, figure OK this is a chase,” the man, who only wanted to be identified as “Bill,” told police afterwards. “I saw who you guys were chasing and I could see that he was holding something in his waistband while he was running from you guys but he had a pretty good lead … He was coming my way so I got in his way to slow him down so you guys can get him.”
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The man can be seen in a second video from police regaining his footing after being tripped, but by then police are yelling at him to “drop the gun” and get on the ground.
Bill said that after he tripped the suspect, “the gun went sliding out.”
“He went one way and the gun went another and then he went after to try and retrieve the gun as fast as he could and that’s when I ducked out of the way,” he said.
According to police, a Glock 9 mm pistol with a high-capacity extended clip was seized. The suspect had a lengthy criminal record and was taken into custody. It’s not known what prompted officers to chase the suspect.
Chief Kim Jacobs held a discussion after the incident where officers shared their thoughts about what occurred.
“He peeks out to check to where the dude is and then keeps doing it and then waits and you can tell he’s timing that out perfectly,” one officer says in the video. “He made that decision early and it’s great watching that footage.”
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Once the suspect was arrested, Zone 3 commander Scott Hyland spoke with the grandfather.
“I cannot thank you enough, sir. You are an outstanding community member,” Hyland said.
Bill responded, telling the officer he felt that as a citizen of the town, “I had a responsibility to act and to help.”
Columbus police thanked the man for his effort in a statement.
“Community involvement, be it by courage, bravery and/or fancy footwork, helped take a criminal off the streets of Columbus,” the statement reads, according to NBC affiliate WCMH-TV.
Police said Bill may have saved the suspect’s life through his intervention by allowing police time to catch up and prevent shots from being fired, NBC reports.
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