New video has been released of a California highway patrol officer under attack by an irate man and the moment several good samaritans stepped in to help.
The suspect was allegedly yelling at passing drivers and bending freeway signs. He was given a verbal warning by an officer who then began to return to his vehicle.
The man jumped the officer and quickly pinned him to the ground putting the officer in a headlock.
That’s when civilians jumped in.
“When I actually get there, for a split second I didn’t know what to do,” Navarro said, explaining that he had 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 everybody was OK, including the suspect.”
Navarro struggled to get a handle on the suspect until two other men came to his aid. The three men pulled the suspect off the officer, who only suffered minor injuries to his thumb while the suspect was hospitalized for injuries to his face, according to CBS News.
“He said thank-you at least five, six times,” Navarro said. “I could sense that he was being very honest from his heart that he knew what type of risk he was going through.”
Ultimately, the suspect was arrested and booked on assault charges and resisting arrest.