By Police1 Staff
SPRINGVILLE, Utah — An armed good Samaritan scared off a suspect who was pummeling a Utah officer.
KSTU reports that on Friday, the officer noticed a pair of feet dangling from a donation bin and ordered the suspect out of it. When the suspect, Paul Douglas Anderson, exited the bin, he ignored commands and began punching the officer in the face.
The suspect repeatedly struck the officer until a passerby, Derek Meyer, witnessed the attack and intervened.
Meyer, who has a concealed-carry permit, drew his weapon and ordered Anderson to get off of the officer. The suspect ran off. Officers eventually found the suspect hiding under a trailer and arrested him.
Corporal Cory Waters praised Meyer’s actions and said it made a huge difference.
“Had he not been in the right place at the right time, who knows what would have happened,” Waters said. “But he definitely stopped the attack from continuing and becoming much worse. He might have even saved either one of their lives. It could have gone really bad, even for the suspect.”
Meyer said he did it “because of who I am.”
“I carry a gun to protect me and those around me, but primarily I carry a gun to protect my family first and foremost,” Meyer said. “Outside of that, if I were to use my gun to protect anyone it would be law enforcement or military personnel.”
Waters warned people like Meyer to always be careful in high-stress situations like this. He said that officers are wary of anyone nearby with a weapon.
The injured officer suffered a fractured eye socket and lacerations around the eye. He was released from a hospital and is expected to recover.
Anderson faces numerous charges.