On March 17 in Salt Lake City, a good samaritan going by the name of Nick (he declined to give his last name) witnessed a man pull a knife on another man. He recounted that a the knife-wielding suspect began attacking the other individual, who was unarmed, swinging the knife at him several times.
Nick, a concealed carry permit holder, got out of his car and pulled his handgun on the suspect, stopping the attack and possibly saving the unarmed man’s life.
“I told him to lay down on the ground and he stayed there,” said Nick.
While Nick held the attacker at bay with his gun he called 911. Several witnesses at the scene began filming the incident and, unbelievably, urged Nick to put his gun down.
“Nobody called 911, nobody reported it, they are all worried about getting video so they could be famous or whatever they are,” said Nick.
You can hear the suspect plead for his life at one point on the video. “Don’t shoot me,” the suspect cries, to which Nick replies, “I’m not gonna.” The suspect turns his head and yells at Nick, “You are too! Get that gun off me!”
Police arrive a few seconds later and calmly take over the situation, leaving Nick to return to his car for a moment while they handcuff the suspect.
It’s encouraging to see that there are civilians like Nick out there, willing to step in and risk their own safety to help another human being. It’s also encouraging to see the police respond in a positive manner to citizens who act to stop crime like Nick did.