SOMERVILLE, MASS. (WHDH) - Surveillance cameras at an insurance company in Somerville’s Davis Square captured the moment a bystander body checked a fleeing bank robbery suspect as he ran from police on Wednesday morning.
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Web developer Dave Powers was on his way to work when he heard police calling out to the armed suspect. Without hesitation, Powers stepped into the robber’s path, knocking him into a potted shrub.
“I saw the suspect fleeing and I could tell he was being pursued by a police officer. I was in position to react,” Powers said. “So I did, just hoping to slow him down so he could be apprehended by the police officer.”
Powers’ hockey-like move dislodged the suspect’s bag, which contained money and a gun.
The suspect then continued on, leaving the bag behind.
Powers says he had no idea what was unfolding and was not aware that the suspect had just fired several shots at police.
The suspect’s bag flopped to the ground on the sidewalk outside of the Wedgwood-Crane & Connolly insurance agency, which is owned by Jack Connolly.
“The suspect kept running so the weapon and the cash stayed right here in front of the office,” Connolly said. “The suspect kept running.”
Connolly called Powers a hero for risking his life in an attempt to help capture the suspect.
“He reacted, slowed him down, and knocked that bag loose,” Connolly said. “He had no idea, really a hero.”
Police say the suspect fired at responding Somerville police officers after the robbery unfolded at the Middlesex Federal Savings Bank, prompting them to return fire.
As the search for the gunman continues, residents are being urged to avoid the area and report any suspicious activity.
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