A police officer in Texas got a suspected criminal off the streets last week. A lot of thanks to a group of good Samaritans, including one who put an end to a foot chase by literally tackling the man.
The Lewisville Police Department said on Facebook the incident happened on June 22 as Officer Jeff Carey spotted a man rummaging through a vehicle that turned out to be stolen. As Carey got out of his vehicle to approach the man, he started running and got away.
About 120 minutes later, police said Carey spotted the suspect outside a restaurant and jumped out of his vehicle to take after him on foot.
The foot chase was spotted by Michael Barrera, who’d just returned to the restaurant after having breakfast with family when his sister forgot something there. The former rugby player told FOX4 the opportunity to help out just presented itself to him.
“I played a lot of rugby in my days, you know, I’m a little older now, I still got little wheels,” Barrera told FOX4. “It’s like a rugby ball, go after it. You know, the game ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
Carey said as he was chasing the suspect, he spotted a “blur” on his left side, which turned out to be Barrera tackling the suspect.
“As soon as I put the handcuffs on the suspect, my mind goes straight to my vehicle,” Carey said.