A quick-acting Good Samaritan came to the aid of an Atlanta police officer being attacked Wednesday morning.
The officer, whose name was not released, was in her patrol truck near the intersection of Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Martin Luther King Drive when a man began beating on her truck, police said. When the officer got out of her truck, the suspect attacked her, pushing her to the ground, punching her repeatedly and pulling her hair.
The officer shot the man with pepper spray, but he continued to attack her.
"He just kept hitting her and hitting her and hitting her in the head," Michael Reed told Channel 2 Action News.
Reed said when he saw what was happening, he knew he had to help. He said watching the officer being attacked reminded him of his daughters and granddaughters.
"I just jumped out of my truck and came to the aid of an officer," Reed said. "I just tackled him like I was playing football again."
Reed held the man down until additional officers arrived and arrested the suspect, Efrem Thurmond. He was handcuffed and was on the ground in his underwear as officers investigated the incident.
Thurmond appeared to be demented, Capt. Barry Shaw with Atlanta police said.
The officer sustained bruises, but is expected to be OK, police said. She was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital for evaluation. Reed was skinned up and had blood on him, but was otherwise fine.
"We are so fortunate to have this man on the scene the way he was," Shaw said. "He was a blessing in disguise."
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