Officer Sharon Gillespie attempted to arrest Andrew Gray, but ended up needing some help.
“She told him he was under arrest. When she pulled her handcuffs out, he spun around and grabbed hold of her,” Linden Police Chief Alton McWaters told CBS News.
Patrick Coughlan, a musician and businessman, saw the two wrestling on the ground and witnessed Gray take Gillespie’s gun.
“They wrassled there for a little while and then a man ran up beside them and grabbed it and took it out of his hand,” said McWaters.
But Gray continued to wrestle with Gillespie and Coughlan until a second bystander stepped in to assist. The woman, who requested anonymity, sat on top of the people in the struggle until Officer Gillespie could regain control of her gun and the situation.
“He meant to shoot her—there’s no doubt in my mind. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know what would have happened,” McWaters said. “I don’t think it would have turned out very well.”
