Security camera footage has caught the incredible moment a bystander took down an armed gunman running from police on the streets of Manhattan, New York City.
A male suspect fled from a store in the Chelsea neighborhood with firearms in hand on March 16, according to Newsflare. While evading police with his handgun drawn, he ran head-on into a pedestrian who bravely blocked his way with his arms.
In CCTV footage, the gunman is seen colliding with the pedestrian and then a nearby guard rail. As he staggers to his feet and tries to continue his flight, the bystander grabs his coat just as a pursuing police officer arrives. The gunman, later identified as 39-year-old Jason Fleming, is then seen being handcuffed and taken into custody.
An armed suspect fleeing police is captured in security camera footage in Chelsey, Manhattan, New York, on March 16. (Screenshot/Newsflare)
Security camera footage captures the moment when a bystander tackles the armed suspect. (Screenshot/Newsflare)
The bystander knocked the armed suspect into a guard rail along the sidewalk moments before a police officer arrives. (Screenshot/Newsflare)
The bystander is captured escorting the armed suspect toward the officers as they arrive. (Screenshot/Newsflare)
Security camera footage shows the officers taking the armed suspect into custody after he fled the bodega on foot. (Screenshot/Newsflare)Fleming drew his weapon “in broad daylight after a dispute in a bodega in Chelsea,” the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said in a statement. After a “verbal dispute with a man,” Fleming stood in the doorway and drew his handgun as a child tried to leave the bodega. The child luckily was able to run away unharmed.
When a witness called 911, the suspect fled the scene with his weapon, sending locals scattering.
With his handgun visible in broad daylight, Fleming ran while police officers followed in hot pursuit until he encountered the pedestrian who blocked his way.
(Video credit: Newsflare)
Fleming’s actions “[frightened] numerous New Yorkers, including a child,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, “Thanks to our law enforcement partners and the heroic efforts of a good Samaritan, the defendant was apprehended before he could hurt anyone.”
Fleming was charged with possession of firearms, a felony conviction carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The good Samaritan remains unnamed.
Homeland Security Special Agent Ivan J. Arvelo expressed pride for his agents’ “rapid apprehension” of the gunman. In conjunction with New York City Police Department, Homeland Security is continuing to investigate the incident, while the unnamed civilian is the hometown hero of the hour.
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