Global Courant 2023-05-29 03:12:05
A brawl between a California Highway Patrol officer and a suspect ended thanks to the intervention of some Good Samaritans.
“I punched the guy in the ribs, but it felt like nothing,” Everado Navarro, one of the bystanders who intervened, told KCAL. “He just continued to hold the officer. At that point, my only concern was to prevent the person from grabbing the officer’s weapon.”
The fight took place on May 19 around 5 p.m. in Santa Ana. The suspect had reportedly yelled at motorists near the highway ramp, and two officers had approached him to issue a warning.
One officer left, leaving the other alone to face the suspect, who picked a fight and quickly overpowered the officer and pinned him to the ground, police said.
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A suspect yelling at cars turned violent and attacked a police officer after receiving a warning, police said. (Instagram/@ppv_tahoe)
At that point, Navarro stopped and got out of his car to assess the situation. As soon as he realized the officer was in trouble, Navarro rushed to the rescue.
“When I got there, I didn’t know what to do for a split second,” Navarro said, explaining that he thought the officer was trying to make an arrest. “I jumped out of my car because of him, but in the end I was thankful that everyone was okay, including the suspect.”
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Drivers got out of their cars to help the officer after he was overpowered by the suspect, police said. (Instagram/@ppv_tahoe)
Navarro struggled to control the suspect until two other men came to his aid. The three men pulled the suspect off the officer, who suffered only minor injuries to his thumb while the suspect was hospitalized for facial injuries, according to CBS News.
“He’s thanked me at least five, six times,” Navarro said. “I felt he was very honest from his heart that he knew the risks he was taking.”
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Bystanders help a California Highway Patrol officer track down a suspect who has turned violent. (Instagram/@ppv_tahoe)
CHP spokesman Anselmo Templado praised the three men, noting that the situation could have turned out worse had they not intervened.
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“It’s not often you see something like this. Usually it’s just people recording and watching. But I want to thank those three Good Samaritans for helping our officer,” Templado told Eyewitness News.
The suspect remains in the Orange County Jail on charges of assault and resisting arrest.
Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news.
