This bystander-captured video records police in Nassau County, New York as they apprehend an armed suspect. The suspect, an African-American woman, threatened herself and others and reportedly fired at least once in the middle of an intersection.

We see the suspect striding around the intersection, brandishing the handgun in her right hand. At 0:09, we see her put the gun to her own head. Note that even with the handgun pointed at herself, she is still considered a threat due to the small movement it would take to resume pointing outward- just a flick of the wrist.

Despite this, an officer decides to make the most of that small window. He enters from the left of frame at 0:12 and clips the suspect with the front-right quarter panel of his cruiser, knocking her to the ground. As she recovers and gets to her feet, other officers move in on foot and effect her arrest, putting her on her knees before proning the suspect out on the ground. She resists from a supine position until a third officer arrives at 0:25 and helps to pin her as another officer cuffs her. An unmarked car arrives at 0:40, followed by an Emergency Services unit which blocks the bystander's view. The bystander/cameraman pulls into a nearby gas station to get another angle on the suspect's arrest.

The officer's use of his vehicle is controversial- while he did manage to take the suspect down without killing her, it shouldn't be ignored that he placed himself in immediate danger by doing so. Police vehicles are not shielded or armored, and the suspect had plenty of time to fire in the time she chose to back up. However, my impression is that the officer's actions ran so counter to her expectations that it didn't even occur to her to fire- most people's reaction to an oncoming car is to move, not shoot. Some will argue that he placed himself in unnecessary danger, and at the time of writing, the possibility of the officer being placed on administrative leave because of that has not been ruled out. However, thanks to his actions, someone who clearly needs help did not wind up dead.

About the Author

Cole Simms

Cole Simms is an Air Guardsman, NASA enthusiast, police officer, and security contractor with particular experience in austere environments. Outside of work, he volunteers as a Stop The Bleed instructor for area schools. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and blends his knowledge and experience to write analysis for Funker530.

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