Holly MatkinJacksonville, TX – A Good Samaritan in a flatbed truck helped Jacksonville police catch a fleeing car thief as he tried to escape through a Chick-fil-A parking lot on Wednesday (video below).
The Jacksonville Police Department (JPD) released security footage of the takedown on its Facebook page later in the day.
The incident began when after officers tried to stop a suspect who was driving a stolen vehicle, according to the department.
The unnamed suspect took off on foot through the parking lot of a Chick-fil-A restaurant with a JPD officer chasing after him, the video showed.
The suspect ran up alongside a flatbed truck sitting in the drive-thru when the truck driver suddenly brought the chase to a halt by swinging his driver’s door open.
The fleeing suspect slammed into the open door, allowing the pursuing officer to close in on him and take him to the ground, the video showed.
The flatbed driver jumped out of his vehicle and ran over to the officer as he wrestled with the suspect in the drive-thru.
During the scuffle, an item resembling a Taser or a gun ended up tumbling to the pavement.
The Good Samaritan swooped in and shoved the object to the side as the officer finished taking the suspect into custody, the video showed.
“A hungry customer, who was waiting patiently for his chicken sandwich, used his door to stop the suspect,” the JPD explained in the video caption. “The suspect was quickly apprehended after the ‘HANGRY’ (but helpful) citizen reminded the suspect as to why you should never run from the police.”
The suspect’s name was not released and it is unclear what charges he may be facing.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below:
