Good Samaritans come to aid of officer being beaten

Not all stories involving the “war on cops” are bad. Despite the rhetoric and the attacks on American police officers, there is no shortage of people willing to do what is right. George Cooper, an African American, was driving to get breakfast in Winter Haven, Florida on the morning of Sunday, September 6, when he saw a police officer at the side of the road, being beaten.

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WFLA reported Cooper saying,

“The boy he just knocked the officer back off of the door and started whaling on him, started hitting him, knocked him down to the ground. I just said I got to stop this because hey man, I don’t want the man to die. I know he has a family somewhere, his family wouldn’t want that to happen to me, I wouldn’t want it to happen to his family.”

It also appeared the suspect was trying to get the officer’s gun. Cooper ran over and the suspect began to run. Another Good Samaritan, Antonio Velazquez, stopped his vehicle in the middle of the road and joined in on the chase. Velazquez managed to kick and knock the suspect to the ground and a third person, Christopher Carver, helped hold him until the injured officer could handcuff him. The suspect has been identified as Corey Johnson, 32, who had a warrant for his arrest for not paying child support. He now faces several new charges. He was originally pulled over for running a stop sign. The officer, Deputy Mike Walsh, sustained a broken thumb and several cuts and bruises but will be okay. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd had nothing but praise for the three men who prevented the deputy from being more seriously injured or killed.