Manteca Police Want To Thank Good Samaritan Who Offered To Help Officer During Struggle With Suspect

MANTECA (CBS13) — Police in Manteca want to thank a Good Samaritan who jumped in and was ready to help an officer who was struggling with a suspect.

Manteca police say, back on Tuesday, an officer pulled over a driver near N. Main and E. Alameda streets for a traffic violation. Two people were in the car, but the driver was found to be on parole and didn't have a license.

That driver was detained without incident. However, police say the officer soon found himself dealing with a passenger who was allegedly hesitant to comply.

Police say the officer ordered the passenger - 23-year-old Patterson resident Kyle Poole - to get out of the car several times. It took the officer coming up to the door and opening it for Poole to get out - but the officer soon noticed him reaching for his waistband.

The officer managed to grab Poole's arm. Poole then tried to pull away, but couldn't. At this point, police say Poole admitted to having a gun in his waistband.

Police say the officer then took Poole down, causing them to fall back into the passenger seat of the car. The gun then fell out.

This was when a concerned citizen ran up and asked if the officer needed help, police say. He didn't, though, since a detective had just shown up as backup.

Poole was eventually arrested. The weapon was found to be an unregistered 9mm "ghost gun," meaning that Poole is now facing charges of carrying a concealed unregistered firearm in public.

Even though his help wasn't needed, police are asking the unidentified citizen who ran over to come forward so they can thank him personally.