Pedro Perez was driving by when he saw the distressed Springfield police officer struggling with an armed robbery suspect on Chapin Terrace shortly after noon on Tuesday.
The officer attempted to apprehend the suspect, later identified as 41-year-old Joseph Gonzalez, police said. Perez asked if the officer needed help, jumped out of his vehicle, and then worked with the officer to restrain Gonzalez.
But Gonzalez was able to grab the officer’s service pistol, when a second officer arrived on the scene and both officers tried to disarm him.
Police said Gonzalez fired two shots from the officer’s service weapon.
One bullet hit Gonzalez’s own hand and another hit Perez’s truck. Both shots narrowly missed both officers and Perez. Officers were then able to extract the firearm from Gonzalez’s hand and arrest him at 12:40 p.m.
Minutes earlier, at approximately 12:25 p.m., officers on the 500 block of Armory Street responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Metro PCS. Police said Gonzalez allegedly pulled a knife and then stole an undisclosed amount of money from the till.
Later, while arresting Gonzalez, officers recovered a large knife and money stolen from Metro PCS on Gonzalez.
City leaders praised Perez for stopping to help the police officer.
“Without Mr. Perez’s help, this incident would undoubtedly have had a very different outcome,” Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood said in a statement. “His actions most likely saved the lives of two Springfield police officers. This dangerous suspect had no respect for anyone’s livelihood and my agents involved risked their lives to prevent this person from causing further damage. These officers displayed a level of professionalism and courage that their families, our fellow officers and the citizens of the city they serve should be extremely proud of.”
Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno called Perez a “Good Samaritan” who was “in the right place at the right time.”
“Police Inspector Cheryl Clapprood and I are grateful that the first responding officer was not seriously injured and I wish the officer a speedy recovery and encouragement – ’The officer showed an enormous amount of restraint,’ Sarno said. “This incident could have turned out very differently, but thanks to the efforts of this Good Samaritan, Pedro Perez, who was in the right place at the right time, he was able to assist our officers who were trying to apprehend the suspect.”
“When I called Mr. Perez to thank him, he said simply and humbly that this was the way he was raised to help those in need,” Sarno said. “Again, we see these criminals have little or no regard for the safety or lives of our residents or our brave and dedicated police officers. If this suspect was successful in grappling with the officer’s service pistol and if Mr. Perez wasn’t there to help, I have no doubt that this violent criminal suspect would have taken the lives of our officers and anyone who got in his way was standing.
Sarno said he and Clapprood “hope our courts do the right thing and take this incident seriously and detain this dangerous suspect and not release him back onto our streets and into our neighborhoods to cause more chaos. He has already shown that he was willing to use a gun to hurt our SPD officers and everyone around.
Gonzalez was sent to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries. The first officer was also sent to hospital for treatment.
Mastroianni’s Auto Body on Taylor Street has offered to repair Perez’s car, which was hit by a bullet, free of charge and provide him with transportation until the job is done, Sarno said.
Gonzalez faces numerous charges, police said: assault with gun to murder, three counts; assault of a police officer, two counts; armed and masked robberies; firing a firearm within 500 feet of a building; assault to disarm a police officer; possession of a firearm while committing a crime; possession of ammunition without an FID card; theft of a firearm; resisting arrest; intentional damage to a motor vehicle; and assault and battery.
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