By Police1 Staff
MESQUITE, Texas — Video of a Texas officer engaging in a friendly boxing match with a teenager has gone viral.
CBS DFW reported that Mesquite Officer Winston Bowen initially responded to a call about a noise complaint at an apartment complex. Bowen said there was a crowd holding a barbecue and playing music.
“They were having a little barbecue, they were playing some music and there were some kids out there with some gloves,” Bowen said.
The crowd turned down the music, but the officer was challenged to a boxing match. Bowen has been boxing since he was 13; he accepted the invitation to spar with a teen.
“There’s this perception that police officers have guns, we have a badge, but we can’t fight,” Bowen said.
When you’re an Officer of the Law and Boxing is life! the officer put those hands on him. ???
Posted by Boxing and MMA News on Monday, May 28, 2018
The crowd howled in approval when the officer displayed his boxing skills. When Bowen’s radio was knocked loose, some members of the crowd stepped in to stop the fight and showed their admiration for the officer.
Bowen, who has been with the Mesquite Police Department for 14 years, is a familiar face in the neighborhood. He’s known to members of the neighborhood as “Blade” due to his resemblance of the superhero played by Wesley Snipes.
“Everybody loves him. They like him. When he pulls up, they’re like, ‘Aw, there’s Officer Blade,’” De’Ovion Tutt said.
Bowen said the boxing match is an example that helps break down the barriers between police and the minority community they serve, which is a goal he said he’s dedicated his life to.
“Years ago I made that decision, I’ve got to step in there and I’ve got to make a difference,” he said.