BARNSTABLE, MASS. (WHDH) - An officer was rescued from a dangerous situation by a man who assisted him during an altercation with a suspect early Thursday morning.
Police say a Barnstable Police officer, James Melia, had responded to the Duck Inn Pub in Hyannis after receiving a report of an intoxicated man causing a disturbance of some sort.
Staff members told Melia that the man was attempting to start fights with other people in the bar.
The suspect, Mark Zwick, 44 of West Yarmouth, was identified, and Melia attempted to arrest him, at which point the suspect tried to fight the officer. A staff member intervened after the officer and the suspect fought on the ground for several minutes, according to police.
The staff member, later identified as David Duncan, yelled, “drop the knife!” at another man who was moving toward the officer with a knife. The officer, who could not see the new threat approaching, was in danger until Duncan disarmed the man and threw the knife away.
Other officers then arrived on scene and placed Zwick and the other suspect into custody. That other suspect was later identified as Christopher Robson, 49 of Hyannis. He was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.
The Barnstable Police department says it commends Duncan for “his selfless, quick reaction in a very dangerous situation.”
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