"It was just somebody that was in need of help. So many people just pull out their camera and want to film it and put it on TikTok, and all the action of helping has stopped. I just feel it’s a part of being a human,” one of the good Samaritans said.
Ohio police are praising four good Samaritans who rushed to help a female police officer engaged in a physical struggle with a suspect on the side of the road.
“It shows the bravery on their part, because they had no idea what they were stepping into. They could have been risking their lives to assist that officer,” Det. Sgt. Michael Sevel said.
Dashcam footage shows the officer pull over a vehicle outside Cleveland for allegedly speeding. After asking for the motorist’s driver’s license and proof of insurance, he abruptly exited the vehicle.
“Why are you getting out of the car, sir?” the officer asked.
“I've got to get my driver's license,” he said.
Things went downhill fast when the officer told the driver to sit on the ground.
“I’m not sitting. I’m not sitting!” the suspect yelled.
The officer asked the man to put his hands on the vehicle, and a fierce struggle ensued.
Four bystanders came over to help the officer subdue the man on the ground as a second cop arrived on the scene. Working together, they put the driver in handcuffs.
“You don't do that to a woman. Do you understand me?” said one of the good Samaritans, who was later identified as Stacia Metucci.
“I didn’t even think about it. It was just somebody that was in need of help. So many people just pull out their camera and want to film it and put it on TikTok, and all the action of helping has stopped. I just feel it’s a part of being a human,” Metucci said.
The driver, 64-year-old David Koubeck, was charged with assault and resisting arrest. He's pleaded not guilty, claiming he acted in self-defense.
