“Just before 2 p.m., an officer spotted a pair of feet dangling from a Tabitha’s Way donation bin along Main Street in Springville,” fox13now.com reports. “He pulled over and asked the person to get out of the bin. That person was Paul Douglas Anderson. Anderson eventually got out of the bin, leaving clothes and shoes on the ground, but he kept his hands in his pockets.” Oh dear . . .
The old SHOW ME YOUR HANDS routine, eh?
Springville Police said that officer asked Anderson multiple times to remove his hands from his pockets, for fear he had a weapon. When Anderson finally removed his hands, he used them to punch the officer in the face.
Police said he kept punching repeatedly until a passerby stopped to help.
A quick lesson here: if you’re close enough to a potential perp get sucker punched, you’re too close. Generally speaking.
OK, so, Officer We Won’t Embarrass Him by Providing His Name is getting the sh*t kicked out of him by a man named Douglas Anderson who emerged from a dumpster dive. Enter . . .
Derek Meyer said he was driving north on Main Street when he spotted the police lights. He said when he looked over he saw Anderson punching the police officer.
Surprised at what he was seeing, Meyer said he made a U-turn and pulled up behind the police car, intending to help . . .
He told Fox 13 he got out of his car, drew his weapon and pointed it at Anderson, yelling at him to get off the officer and stop assaulting him.
Meyer said when Anderson saw the gun, he stopped and ran off. Immediately, other officers responded to the scene and Meyer put his weapon away.
Another quick lesson: if you’re holding a firearm anywhere near a police officer you stand a pretty good chance of getting shot by another police officer. But don’t take my word for it . . .
Cpl. Waters cautioned people like Meyer to be careful, however, because in high-stress situations, officers are wary of anyone nearby with a weapon.
The officer suffered a fractured eye socket and lacerations around the eye. He was released from the hospital and is expected to be OK.
Mr. Meyer told Fox he was glad to share his story because “people don’t hear enough good stories from responsible, gun-owning people.” TTAG readers excepted.