Page 1 of 2

Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:04 am
by gemini
Not my personal contact with LEO, but definitely what we need more of:
http://www.myssnews.com/news-telegram/n ... ed-it.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Heroic man quashes attack on woman: 'He drew down his mini Glock and he stopped it'
Thursday, 15 October 2009 18:05 Bruce Alsobrook
User Rating: / 1
PoorBest
A Point man is being lauded for his courage after he pulled a gun to stop a man from beating up his girlfriend in a Sulphur Springs parking lot Wednesday.

The modern day knight in shining armor was legally carrying a concealed handgun and must have had a good instructor, said Sulphur Springs Police Capt. Norman Colyer, who is also certified to teach concealed handgun courses.

“He was right on the money,” Colyer said.

Lt. Antwone Young and officer Ronny Doss were sent to the VF Outlet Mall parking lot about 9:45 a.m. Wednesday to answer a report of a disturbance involving a gun. They found two men and a woman standing by a silver 2009 Hyundai Alantra and a pickup.

The woman pointed to one of the men and said, “He has a gun.” Officers could see a bulge above his right rear pocket and under his shirt, and ordered him to get on the ground, and both men were quickly in handcuffs.

It didn’t take long to figure out the 27-year-old Point man wasn’t the bad guy, however.

The 27-year-old woman who had been assaulted told officers that she was driving the Hyundai with James Douglas Arnold, 51, in the parking lot when the assault occurred. She said Arnold has been her boyfriend for several years but added that he had assaulted her many times in the past.

They decided to go to Whataburger, but when she turned the wheel to leave the parking lot, Arnold told her to let him drive. She refused. This apparently made Arnold “very angry,” as he suddenly grabbed her by the head and attempted to pull her from the driver’s seat. She said she almost struck a tree at the edge of the parking lot before applying the brakes at the last second.

Across the parking, lot, the Point man and another passerby, a retired Yantis man, heard the woman yelling.

“He heard her screaming ‘Help!’ at the top of her lungs,” Colyer said.

Both men made their way across the lot, and said they saw Arnold making punching motions and appeared to be striking the woman. And apparently, the Point man had seen enough as he got out of his pickup and walked over the Hyundai.

“He drew down with his mini Glock, and he stopped it,” Colyer said. “He told the guy to stop and get on the ground.”

He then called police for help. After they arrived, the Yantis man who’d witnessed the events corroborated his statements. The Point man was released and thanked for his service.

James Douglas Arnold was taken to the county jail, where he was booked on a second-degree felony charge of assault-family violence. He remained in jail this morning.

Colyer said the Point man may have done more than simply stop a scuffle between lovers.

“For all we know, he could have saved her from serious injury,” he said.

The police captain also said his actions underscored the value of concealed handgun training, which has far more to do with the intellectual side of the use of weapons than target practice.

“It doesn’t teach you how to shoot,” Colyer explained. “Most of it is about the law.”

And much of that information, Colyer added, deals with the use of force — when it’s appropriate, how much is necessary and what the consequences are.

“It’s to teach you when you can use force and what’s going to happen when you do,” he said.

Wednesday’s incident was such a textbook example of proper use of force, he added, he expects that he’ll use it in his own classes.

Colyer also plans to express his thanks in another way.

“I’m going to call him and tell him that when he gets ready to renew his license, it’s on me,” Colyer said.

:txflag:

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:31 am
by AEA
I'm glad it worked out for the Point man. But, I disagree that it was his good training that saved everyone and I also disagree that it was the correct thing to do in the first place. :???:

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 4:51 am
by dihappy
I may have not done the same thing, but if it was my sister, mother, or daughter getting the beating.

Id be buying this guy lunch for a week!

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 5:46 am
by Beiruty
Oh, you see. The one that was saved from a beating was calling out who saved her that he has a gun. Not stating that he saved her, and thanking him for that matter. Rather, implying that she was in danger because he pulled a gun on her abuser. What kind of people are those? Next time, I would call 911 first and intervene only if severe bodily harm is being inflicted.

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 8:31 am
by ninemm
Beiruty wrote:Oh, you see. The one that was saved from a beating was calling out who saved her that he has a gun. Not stating that he saved her, and thanking him for that matter. Rather, implying that she was in danger because he pulled a gun on her abuser. What kind of people are those? Next time, I would call 911 first and intervene only if severe bodily harm is being inflicted.
I noticed the same thing. I guess she should have been screaming. "Help, someone help me who is willing to come to my aide but shall be limited to using only their hands. No weapons allowed!" At least that's what she meant, I'm sure.

SFB

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 9:11 am
by C-dub
Outstanding LEO!

I noticed the same thing about the woman when the police arrived.

"HELP. HELP. Oh, but not you. I'm afraid of guns. Somebody else HELP!" :banghead: :confused5

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 9:34 am
by cowboymd
Beiruty wrote:Oh, you see. The one that was saved from a beating was calling out who saved her that he has a gun. Not stating that he saved her, and thanking him for that matter. Rather, implying that she was in danger because he pulled a gun on her abuser. What kind of people are those? Next time, I would call 911 first and intervene only if severe bodily harm is being inflicted.
Thus the problem with getting involved with someone else's domestic violence. The good guy seemingly got pointed out by the victim as the BG since he had the gun. Fortunately the LEO did not over react. Call 911 and monitor.

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 10:14 am
by Abraham
None of us CHLers are knights in shining armor or LEO's or, or, or...

If, however, I witness a person undergoing violence grave enough to cause immediate death or severe physical harm, I'm not certain I'd limit myself to only calling 911 and then standby awaiting help - anymore than if I saw arterial bleeding squirting out of someone in need of help now and do nothing awaiting paramedics.

The answer to these hypothetical scenarios is we really don't know what we'll do until the situations arises. At least, those of us who care about our fellow man.

All that being said, I may freeze in utter fright too. Or, may haste and run away.

I won't know how I'll act until I face the situation should it arise in it various forms.

Courage or nobility and other positive attributes aren't fixed in stone. Their quality and quantity vary from day to day. Today I may be brave in the face of danger and the next be paralyzed by the very same threat.

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:37 pm
by joe817
I have to agree with Abraham. If I saw someone being what I perceive as being assaulted, I don't think I could stand by and watch it and not become involved to some degree of trying to stop the assault. I can honestly say I'm not one of those persons who adopts a "I don't want to become involved" attitude, given this scenario.

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 5:43 pm
by gemini
I understand why it's customary for LEO's to send 2 officers to most domestic violence calls. Many times the "victim"
turns on the officer trying to help. Kind of looks like that here. However, the Point man and the retiree from Yantis
didn't know if it was domestic violence. They heard a woman scream at the top of her lungs for help. Observed a man
pounding her, and responded with immediate assistance. There was no description of the Point man physically, maybe the
male in the domestic assault was much bigger, maybe the Point man had a handicap and was unable to physically challenge
the abuser, maybe the age difference made a physical confrontation a unwise decision. The other Yantis man was listed as
a retiree. Age?
I'm just glad 2 men, 2 strangers, 2 Texans, were willing to come to a womans defense and aide. Call 911? Yea, do that too.
But a large man can overpower most females and cause severe injury or death, quicker than most PD's can answer a
911 call, dispatch a B&W and arrive on scene.
I'd like to think someone would help my wife or daughter, or yours, if they were screaming at the top of their lungs "HELP". Pretty sad to think no one would offer assistance other than to call 911, and stand there, while some animal beats the ever loving snot
out of them, or worse.
Gun or not. This IS Texas. Where men are taught to protect their women folk.
I'm thankful the Police Captain had a positive comment on the CHL'er. I think I'd buy the Point man dinner.
:txflag:

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 5:46 pm
by joe817
Well put gemini! I agree totally. :clapping: :txflag:

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 10:58 pm
by One Shot
The woman pointed to one of the men and said, “He has a gun.”
He was fortunate ther were other witnesses.

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 10:40 pm
by surprise_i'm_armed
There are some weird things to consider when you re-read this story, to wit:

The GG drew his "mini Glock" and ordered the other man to the ground.

But when the police responded they found 2 men and a woman standing by the
Hyundai ALANTRA (it's an Elantra actually). The 2 men could have been the 2 Good
Samaritans. IIRC, there's no mention of the bad guy still being on the ground.

Plus the GG had already re-holstered his Glock into concealment. The cops had to be
told by the woman that he had a gun. The cops didn't see him re-holster as they arrived.

It would seem that we had a very cooperative BG in this case, who waited demurely for
the LEO's while the GG felt OK enough with the situation to reholster.

If he had decided to attack the CHL, some Glock Perfection would have had to be used
quickly, or this story would have had a less fairy tale ending. IMHO.

SIA

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 4:50 pm
by bdickens
No good deed goes unpunished.

Re: Sulphur Springs, Tx CHL Story

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:39 pm
by DONT TREAD ON ME
I agree with Abraham and Gemini.

As I have said before on a thread similar. Refer to my signature line.