Parolee almost kills cop with a knife
Parolee almost kills cop with a knife
Officer Risks His Life To Nab Parolee
Retired Firefighter Tackles Suspect
SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco police officer is counting his blessings Friday after making a routine traffic stop that almost cost him his life, NBC11′s Lisa Beckett reported.
“I’m riding my bike basically in the center of Columbus Avenue. It took me a second and then it clicked in my head and I recognized him thinking, ‘Oh, he’s on parole,’” said officer Tom Costello, the 6-year veteran, who had arrested the same man just a few months ago.
“So, I catch-up with him right around the ATM machines … and I stopped him,” he said.
But, what happened next was hardly routine.
“I told him to remove his hands and that’s when he reached in his pants and grabbed a knife. He saw me go to draw my gun and that’s when he tossed the knife (at my body) … Then, he took off running this way,” Costello said.
Without even thinking, the officer gave pursuit. He chased the parolee for several city blocks before a retired fireman helped tackle 36-year-old Ernie Campbell.
“Adrenaline kicked in, I threw the knife down. All I wanted to do was catch this guy,” Costello said.
It wasn’t until the pursuit was over when Costello noticed his bulletproof vest blocked the suspect’s 8-inch knife from killing him.
