ATLANTA — Body camera footage captured the intense moment a good Samaritan jumped into action to help an officer make an arrest last week.
On Friday, July 11, an Atlanta Police Department officer responded to a call of a person near a MARTA train station pointing a gun at people, WRDW reported. When the officer arrived on scene, the suspect, later identified as Harold Sullivan, started to run, but was eventually taken to the ground. The officer was hit in the face with Sullivan’s weapon during the struggle. That’s when a good Samartian, Marquez Burnette, came in to assist the officer, hitting Sullivan several times and helping the officer secure the suspect’s weapon, according to the report.
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“We’re both grabbing for the gun. I mean, it’s a struggle for life,” Burnette told WSBTV.com. “I kind of put my knee and my elbow in his head while the officer tried to handcuff him.”
Burnette, who broke a bone in his hand during the struggle, told WSBTV he wants to become a police officer — even putting in an application to work for the Atlanta Police Department.
“Our number one priority is the safety of our community, and that includes the safety of our residents and those who work tirelessly to protect them. We thank you for your continued support and cooperation,” Atlanta police said in a statement.
The weapon was later discovered to be a BB gun, according to police. Sullivan was charged with battery, aggravated battery, obstructing a police officer, pointing or aiming a pistol at another, disorderly conduct and two counts of simple assault.
