KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) – An off-duty detective suddenly found himself back on duty when he saw a man pull out a gun during a marathon.
Hundreds of runners flocked to Kalamazoo. Zeigler Kalamazoo Marathon, including an off-duty Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety detective. However, she was not absent from her service for long.
“I saw police cars coming one after another, sirens wailing, and a huge commotion,” neighbor Despina Cupps recalled.
Around 9 a.m. Sunday, an off-duty detective noticed a man and woman arguing inside a parked car. Police say detectives saw a man pull out a gun and a woman run away on Winchell Street.
According to investigators, while detectives were responding to the situation, a nearby police officer directing traffic attempted to arrest the man, but the man fled. The chase has begun.
“I felt it here, I felt something bad was happening,” Cupps said.
Cupps said she was walking in the area and was scared.
“And I asked one of the officers if I should be worried because I live on Chevy Chase (Boulevard), and he said, 'If I were you, I'd be at your door. 'I'll lock it up,''' Cupps recalled.
More police officers flooded the area to arrest the suspect. body camera video Video released by KDPS shows officers with dogs searching for the suspect. Less than a mile away, they found a 22-year-old boy hiding under a boat in a backyard on Chevy Chase Boulevard.
Cupps said she is grateful to the police for working overtime.
“They have eyes behind their eyes and they care about our well-being, not just at work but outside of work,” Cupps said.
Police said they found more than 20 packages of suspected cocaine in the suspect's jacket. A handgun was found inside the car. The 22-year-old is charged with resisting and obstructing arrest and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
