Man fleeing police in Royal Oak tripped, stopped by Good Samaritan

ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Jack Huffman said he was simply doing his early morning walk when he noticed several police cars speeding and chasing after a man, but when that same suspect suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Huffman knew that he had to take some swift action.

It’s a Saturday morning Huffman said he’ll never forget.

“I was just out for my morning walk and I saw the police lined up down the street," Huffman said. “I wasn’t really sure what was going on. That’s when I started hearing all the tires squealing from down the road.”

To Huffman’s shock, the person police were pursuing seemingly pulled a fast one on officers and was able to get away just enough to jump a fence. He almost escaped, landing only a few feet away from Huffman.

“One of the guys had jumped the fence into the Rite Aid where I was standing and and just came right my way,” Huffman said. “I just turned down and stuck my big foot out there and tripped him up in the road."

Huffman got his foot out just enough to trip up the fleeing criminal before he flagged officers down.

“I had about three seconds to figure out whether or not I was going to get into it. I just decided, ‘OK. Let’s get out there and do it,’" Huffman said. "That’s just me, I can’t help it. To just see something or see someone who needs help -- I’ll be right there.”

Police took the suspect into custody making an arrest for fleeing and eluding.


About the Authors

Victor Williams joined Local 4 News in October of 2019 after working for WOIO in Cleveland, OH, WLOX News in Biloxi, MS, and WBBJ in Jackson, TN. Victor developed a love for journalism after realizing he was a great speaker and writer at an early age.

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

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