By Police1 Staff
OWASSO, Okla. — Retired officer Gary Stephenson was taking his grandson for a snack at a convenience store when he saw crowds of more than 50 surrounding fighting teenagers, NewsOn6 reported.
Stephenson stepped in to stop the teens from hitting each other on April 8 outside of a QuikTrip. However, a viral video spread across social media showed Stephenson was shoved into a wall and sucker punched by the teens he was trying to stop.
Good Samaritans rushed into help Stephenson after the assault and police responded shortly after. No arrests were made.
Stephenson’s son, Robert, told the news site his father used his police training to diffuse the tense situation.
“It’s upsetting when you see your father trying to something good and you see somebody hit him,” Robert said. “I know it’s kids being kids, [but] to actually disrespect an adult and hit and hit an adult when you’re not even involved in the fight, that’s another story.”
The department posted about the incident on Facebook and thanked the public for the videos. A follow-up post a few days later informed the public “no loitering” signs were hung outside the convenience store and additional officers had been deployed to patrol the area for the foreseeable future.