A Missouri Highway Patrol trooper is thankful for Good Samaritans who stepped in to help as he was in a struggle with a suspect Tuesday afternoon.
Trooper Beau Ryun pulled over a vehicle for a lane violation shortly after 11 a.m. on I-70 East near the Highway 13 exit for Higginsville when the incident occurred, according to KSHB-TV.
Ryun instructed 22-year-old Jonathan Timmons to step out of the vehicle, to which the man complied. The trooper then checked for concealed weapons and found a pair of scissors tucked under Timmons’s waistband. Timmons then sat the front seat of Ryun's cruiser while the trooper searched for drugs and weapons. That's when Timmons lunged at Ryun.
The attack sent both of them to the ground on the side of the interstate directly behind the patrol car. Ryun tried calling for backup during the struggle that lasted several minutes. However, his calls weren't getting through.
"We were rolling around on the ground and it was a fight for control," he told the news station. "The reception in that area was very poor for my radio, and I was unable to call for help."
Charles Barney was on his way to a funeral when he drove by the scuffle. He and a 74-year-old woman both got out of their cars to help.
"[Ryun] kept telling me, 'He's reaching for my gun. He's reaching for my gun,' " Barney said.
He found the trooper's handcuffs on the ground and was able to get one of Timmons's wrists in the cuffs. That's when Timmons fought back even harder, injuring the woman who was stepping in to help.
"I locked his legs in with my legs and I grabbed his other arm and bent it up all the way over his head and told him, 'You need to stop or I'm gonna break it,' " Barney said.
Ryun said he is grateful for the actions of both civilians.
"That was one of the best moments of my life," Ryun said. "I couldn't call for help because my radio was disabled, so to see Charles and Sandra step up like that, I’ll remember that for the rest of my life."
Timmons is facing six separate charges including felony assault and possession of marijuana.
