Four good Samaritans in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, were recently praised by a local police chief after they helped a police officer subdue an attacker while conducting a traffic stop.
Willoughby Police Officer Stacee Wright, 30, pulled over 64-year-old suspect David Koubeck for speeding one afternoon. The stop started off as routine, with Wright informing Koubeck that he was driving 57 mph in a 35-mph zone and then asking for the man’s license.
As seen on Wright’s dashcam video, Koubeck then exited his vehicle and refused to sit down or comply with her orders.
“I’m not sitting! I’m not sitting!” he yelled.
Koubeck then suddenly became aggressive and lunged at the officer.
During the scuffle, bystanders came running from across the street or pulled over to the side of the road to help Wright. One man helped her tackle Koubeck to the ground while she called for backup.
“You don’t do that to a woman. Do you understand me?” one person yelled at Koubeck.
When backup officers arrived, the good Samaritans departed.
Officer Wright was transported to a local hospital for minor injuries following the incident. Koubeck was later charged with assault on an officer, resisting arrest, speeding and failure to wear a seatbelt.
Willoughby Police Chief Jim Schultz took to Facebook to thank the citizens for their timely intervention.
“I am so proud of our community and the tremendous support we receive on a day-to-day basis,” Schultz said. “Saturday was another awesome example. I greatly appreciate it!! Thank you!”
Willoughby Detective Sergeant Michael Sevel said that Wright acted correctly in such a situation, and also praised the actions of the four civilians.
“His behavior was aggressive towards her, he refused several commands of hers, all of these are red flags. So we’re thankful it ended the way it did, because it could have ended worse,” Sevel said.
“It just makes us extremely proud to work for Willoughby, where there’s good people willing to put their safety on the line,” Sevel continued. “They had no idea what they were stepping into, they could have been risking their lives to help that officer.”
The police department has identified three out of the four civilians but has not released their names.
