Massachusetts police thanked three good Samaritans they credit with saving the life of a woman who was allegedly being kidnapped by her estranged husband.
The harrowing incident unfolded on Friday at about 9 a.m. when officers with the Plymouth Police Department said they responded to numerous reports of a “man chasing a woman down the street with a gun.”
Police said in a statement released on Facebook that the 39-year-old man violated a restraining order by showing up at the residence of his estranged wife.
The man was allegedly in possession of handcuffs and a face mask when he grabbed the woman by the head and neck and picked her up while she held one of her children.
Police said that the screaming from the woman caught the attention of former corrections officer Jamie Costa, another resident in the area.
He yelled at the man to leave the woman alone and then “lined him up for a good old fashioned football tackle,” as described by police. At that point, the man allegedly pulled a handgun from his waistband.
Police said that two other witnesses, Jeffrey “Chili” Williams and David Williams, jumped in to help after hearing screams. One of the brothers pulled his licensed firearm, and the other rushed to aid Costa in tackling the man and disarming him.
They were able to hold the suspect down until Officer Bobby Hackett arrived to place him under arrest. Police said two replica handguns and a stiletto knife were taken from the man.
He was charged with kidnapping, assault with a dangerous weapon, violation of a restraining order, and reckless endangerment of a child.
Police said the three good Samaritans likely saved the woman’s life.
“You see a lot of people videoing these instances instead of doing something about it, and I wasn’t gonna do that. I was taught to do something about it, so I did something about it,” said Costa to WCVB-TV.
It was not the first time that Costa had helped police apprehend a criminal suspect. In 2019, he received a certificate of recognition from the Plymouth Police for tackling a suspect who was fleeing from police.
Here’s a local news video about the alleged kidnapping attempt:
3 good Samaritans credited with stopping Plymouth, Mass. kidnappingwww.youtube.com
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