The officer involved is expected to make a full recovery.
A group of good Samaritans are being commended by authorities after subduing a man accused of shooting a California highway patrolman and tending to the injured officer until help arrived.
The unnamed officer was investigating a single car accident on a busy freeway in San Diego, when the driver allegedly lunged for the officer's revolver and shot him the leg.
Fortunately, passing motorists stopped to help. One of them was Floriberto Pineda and wife, Lilia, who captured the heroic scene on video.
“My husband suddenly started screaming stop, ‘Stop! Stop!’” Lilia said.
Video appears to show one man holding a knife over the suspected gunman to keep him from escaping.
“When I was holding him, he tried to escape. And that’s why I see the other good Samaritan help me,” Floriberto said.
The cop was bleeding profusely from a gunshot to his thigh. As luck would have it, one of the people who stopped was a nurse.
Reinforcements showed up and placed the suspect under arrest.
“There were some good Samaritans on scene, and they did assist in subduing the suspect. And we’re very, very grateful for that,” Captain Michael Harris said.
“We just couldn't leave, seeing something like that and seeing an officer in need,” Lilia said.
The officer is expected to make a full recovery.
The 25-year-old suspect faces several charges, including attempted murder.
