Holly MatkinWilloughby, OH – Dashcam footage captured the moment when four Good Samaritans jumped in to help a police officer who was being assaulted by a violent suspect (video below).
The incident occurred after Willoughby Police Department (WPD) Officer Stacee Wright stopped a speeding motorist on Lost Nation Road shortly before 4:25 p.m. on Sept. 10, WKYC reported.
Dashcam footage showed the driver of the suspect vehicle, 64-year-old David Koubeck, exiting his car to get his license out of the backseat area shortly after Officer Wright made contact with him through his front passenger-side window.
Officer Wright told him to have a seat on the grassy area beside his vehicle after he retrieved his license, but he refused, the video showed.
“I’m not sitting. I’m not sitting!” he yelled, jabbing his finger in the officer’s face.
Officer Wright ordered Koubeck to back up, at which point he pushed her, dashcam footage showed.
“I’m not sitting, mother f—ker!” he declared.
The officer radioed for assistance and warned Koubeck that he would be tased if he did not comply with her orders.
“Put your hands on the vehicle now!” she yelled, just before she pushed the suspect towards his car and attempted to take him into custody.
Koubeck resisted her effort and ended up pinning Officer Wright against the passenger side of his vehicle during the ensuing struggle, the video showed.
Multiple witnesses driving by the scene abruptly stopped their vehicles and ran to help the struggling officer.
One man came up behind Koubeck and tackled him to the ground, but the suspect was able to retain his grip on the officer and pulled her down with them, the video showed.
Officer Wright radioed for additional units as she attempted to wrestle the combative suspect into handcuffs.
Three more Good Samaritans ran over and helped hold Koubeck down just before an additional officer arrived at the scene, the video showed.
The heroic citizens all left the area immediately after the suspect was subdued.
Officer Wright was treated for minor injuries at University Hospitals West Medical Center, WKYC reported.
“We’re thankful it ended the way that it did, because it could have ended worse,” WPD Detective Sergeant Michael Sevel told WKYC.
Koubeck has been charged with speeding, assaulting a police officer, failure to wear a seatbelt, and resisting arrest.
The WPD later said that they know the identities of three of the four people who rushed to Officer Wright’s aid, WKYC reported.
“I would like to personally thank several great Samaritans and our wonderful community for their quick action and support,” WPD Chief Jim Schultz said in a Facebook post on Sept. 12. “I am so proud of our community and the tremendous support we receive on a day to day basis. Saturday was another awesome example. I greatly appreciate it!! Thank you!”
Sgt. Sevel said the bystanders’ heroic actions makes the officers of the WPD even more appreciative of the community they serve, WKYC reported.
“It just makes us extremely proud to work for Willoughby, where there’s good people willing to put their safety on the line,” he said. “They had no idea what they were stepping into. They could have been risking their lives to help that officer.”
Koubeck’s preliminary hearing was slated to take place on Thursday, but it was ultimately rescheduled so he could undergo an examination at the Windsor-Laurelwood mental health care facility, WOIO reported.
He is due to appear in Willoughby Municipal Court on Sept. 22.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. Warning – Graphic Content and Obscene Language:
