Remember how the anti-gun folks tell you to wait until the police arrive…well, a cop had to wait for an armed citizen to save him this time. This is yet another example of why it’s so smart to be armed in this day and age. A cop was surrounded by 40-50 teens who were jumping him and assaulting him. Thank goodness for the armed man who came to his rescue or who knows what would have happened. It helps that the Police Superintendent (pictured above) has a history of praising anyone who does something like this:
This isn’t the first time that Superintendent Chitwood backed up an armed citizen. A year ago, in another incident, Chitwood had this to say, from 6abc.com:
“He was really shook up – really upset. And I told him point blank. I said, ‘You did what you had to do and as far as I’m concerned I don’t see any criminal charges forthcoming,'” said Supt. Chitwood.
POLICE ARE crediting a vigilant gun owner with saving the life of an Upper Darby cop Friday after he saw the officer being attacked and surrounded by a large group of teens.
“There were 40 kids. If it wasn’t for the good Samaritan stepping forward, he’d have been dead meat,” Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said. “There’s no doubt they would have attacked him.”
About 3 p.m. every weekday, from six to eight township police officers patrol the area near Upper Darby High School as nearly 4,000 kids pour out of the building on Lansdowne Avenue near School Lane.
Most kids and most days are good, Chitwood said.
Friday was not.
That afternoon alone, police responded to three fights in three locations near the school. When the dust settled, eight teens, ages 13 to 17, were charged with crimes, and two officers were injured so severely that it’s unclear when they’ll be able to return to work, Chitwood said.
The most egregious of the incidents took place on Wayne Avenue near Marshall Road, less than a mile from the high school.
An officer who broke up a fight between two teen boys that had attracted a large crowd at that location was holding one of the combatants at bay when the teen’s opponent attacked the officer, Chitwood said.
“As he breaks up the fight, he takes one kid and then the other jumps [on] him. Now he’s fighting two of them and he’s calling for an assist officer at the same time,” Chitwood said. “There’s a crowd of 40 or 50 kids watching the fight, and they all move in towards the officer.”
That’s when the good Samaritan, who lives on the block, came out of his house with a gun in his hand and told the teens to get away from the cop, Chitwood said.
“He had the gun in his hand, but he didn’t point it at the kids, he just told them to back off,” Chitwood said. “If this guy didn’t come out and come to the aid of the officer, this officer would have had significant problems.”
Read more: Philly.com
