A simple welfare check at a Sam’s Club gas station in Utah quickly spiraled out of control when the suspect tried to grab a police officers gun. Senior Officer Austin Williams was called to check on 34-year-old Emiliano Medina who was asking people for water.
When Williams approached Medina he made his fingers into the shape of a gun and pointed them at the officer before pointing them at his own head. Medina then reached for Williams' gun and started throwing punches at the officer before running off.
He did not get very far thanks to the quick reaction of a couple of bystanders.
"One male stopped [Medina], and the other male grabbed [Medina] from behind in a bear hug and slammed him to the ground. I then kneeled over [Medina]and placed him in cuffs and waited for other officers to arrive to assist me," Williams wrote in his report.
Williams told KSTU the bystander's tackle was “like NFL hardest hits type of stuff."
Officials said Medina had methamphetamine in his system and was taken to the hospital for treatment. He faces charges of assaulting a peace officer, possession or use of a controlled substance, failure to stop at the command of law enforcement and disarming a police officer.