By Police1 Staff
PHILADELPHIA — A SEPTA police officer was violently assaulted by a man at a subway platform and was assisted by bystanders who jumped in to help.
Police officer Ronald Jones approached a man as he exited a southbound train after passengers on the train had reported the man was making threats that he had a gun and planned to shoot, according to NBC Philadelphia.
The suspect instantly reached for the officer’s gun and a struggle ensued on the platform, and two bystanders rushed to restrain the suspect.
“My thought was that either the man is going to get shot or the officer is going to get shot; we could all get shot,” said Riley Ross, an attorney who rushed to aid the officer.
The suspect managed to break free again, then tried taking a child to no avail, according to the report.
More officers responded to the scene and the man was taken into custody.
“The first two passengers that came on were outstanding,” said SEPTA’s inspector of operations Steven Harold. “We thank you for it.”
Officer Jones was not seriously injured during the attack.
The suspect’s identity and charges against him have not yet been released.