WEYMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - A Weymouth resident is set to be awarded the Carnegie Hero Medal on Wednesday for his heroic actions on a crowded train in Chicago more than two years ago.
On Oct. 13, 2019, around 5:40 a.m., Jean-Paul LaPierre, 54, was a passenger at the back of a train car when he saw a man approaching passengers near the front of the car, according to the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission.
When the train stopped at the next station, nearly all the passengers disembarked.
LaPierre followed them to ask what happened and learned that a man armed with a loaded handgun had been robbing them, the commission said.
LaPierre then went after the gunman who had boarded a second train car and pinned him against a set of closed doors.
He proceeded to pry the gun away from the gunman before handing it to another passenger who reset the gun’s safety, the commission added.
LaPierre secured the suspect until police arrived to arrest him.
LaPierre suffered an injury to his arm but no other passengers were hurt.
He is slated to be awarded the Carnegie Hero Medal at Weymouth Town Hall.
The commission chose to award 18 people this year, including five from New England.
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