In a surprising reversal, a man who has been in trouble with the law in the past saved a police officer during a shootout.
The good samaritan risked life and limb to drag an injured officer to safety during a gun fight on a Houston, Texas, freeway on Saturday morning.
The Houston Police Department said that officers spotted a vehicle that had been violently carjacked the day before being driven down a road.
When the suspect noticed the police, he decided to flee, and ended up crashing the stolen car into several others.
The man stumbled out of the mangled vehicle and attempted to carjack other drivers on the highway until police arrived.
The man immediately started firing at police and a 29-year-old officer was shot in the leg.
Good Samaritan helps cop wounded during police shootout with suspect
That’s when former criminal John Lally was forced to pull over on the freeway to avoid the gun battle.
Lally got out of his pick up truck and trailer, but instead of going for cover, ran towards the injured officer and dragged him to safety.
The incident was caught on a body camera that Lally himself was wearing, which shows him and another policeman drag the fallen cop out of harms way and stay by his side.
“I just kinda ran over there, and I grabbed that guy with the other police officer. Me and him, together, we grabbed him by his vest so he wouldn’t get shot again,” Lally told ABC 13.
He could be seen and heard comforting the wounded officer as he laid on the ground in shock.
“‘It’s just your leg. It’s just your leg, you hear me? Just squeeze my hand as tight as you have to. Do you know what I’m saying? Don’t worry, I’m here with you,'” Lally said to him.
The Houston Police Department has confirmed that a 29-year-old officer was shot in the leg and is expected to make a full recovery.
HPD credits good Samaritan who helped cop that was injured during police shootout
HPD Chief Troy Finner is credited Lally as a good Samaritan for his bravery during a press conference the same day, and promised to formally acknowledge his actions at a later date.
Finner noted that though Lally has a criminal past, he chose to aid an officer of the law and put his own life on the line to do it.
“There’s one citizen out there who has had trouble with law enforcement in his life, but today, he and a few other citizens, along with our officers, when that officer went down, they pulled him to safety. I want to celebrate that,” the police chief began.
Finner said that he wanted to share news about Lally’s heroics to the public because it is important to recognize that people make mistakes in their lifetime, but can change for the better.
“A truly reformed individual is a person that we can use,” Finner continued. “He stepped up and I don’t want that to get lost.”
It has been reported that the suspect, following the shootout, succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.
