By Amanda Spence
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Members of the community worked together to help officers catch a fleeing suspect just days after Lexington (Ky.) Police Chief Lawrence Weathers pleaded with the public to “be involved in public safety.”
LEX 18 reported that good Samaritans told officers which direction the suspect was heading toward and officers later thanked them for their efforts. The apprehension comes during a period when nine shootings have occurred in the last week – with nearly 100 occurring this year alone.
The man who fled ran off during a traffic stop. He was promptly found and arrested for trafficking a controlled substance in the first degree with a firearm, possession of marijuana, having a firearm as a convicted felon, and fleeing and evading in the second degree.
The uptick in crime is what prompted Weathers to speak in a news conference that has since gone viral.
“Start appreciating what your police do for you,” he told LEX 18. “Start appreciating what your E-911 workers do for you. Start appreciating what your fire department does for you, and start appreciating what your corrections officers do for you. That’s what we need when we say ‘community involvement.’ We need you to be involved in public safety!”
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