Columbus police report that an armed suspect fleeing on foot was tripped up by a bystander.
April 3, 2018 “Bill” was at a west Columbus library with his granddaughter. He was waiting outside to leave when he heard police sirens. He tells us he looked around and saw a man with his hand in his waistband running toward him. “Bill” assessed the situation as fast as he could, cane in hand. He heard officers yelling multiple times to drop the gun. “Bill” says with officers lagging a bit behind the suspect he did what he could to help them nab the armed man. Bill stuck out a back leg to trip the suspect who was running from police. That move likely saved the 18-year-old suspect’s life. It also allowed police to catch up to him to make the arrest. Police recovered a Glock 9 MM pistol with a high capacity extended clip containing 29 rounds. The suspect, with a lengthy criminal record, went back to jail. No one was injured.
“That move likely saved the 18-year-old suspect’s life” is a useful reminder that summary execution is the default response to an armed suspect.