Rare footage, suspect take down
When a criminal suspect hopped over a fence and took off on a bike, CBS13 photojournalist James Taylor caught it all on camera. It was a wild scene with a citizen who jumped in to help and several officers tackling the suspect. Three officers were injured. The hero citizen said, “These cops risk their lives every day, the least I could do was try and help them.”
About 4:30 p.m., Regional Transit officers who had been riding a light-rail train got off and tried to contact a group of individuals near Fifth Avenue and Freeport Boulevard, said police Officer Michele Gigante. One of the individuals took a swing at one of the officers, missing but causing the officer to fall to the ground, Gigante said.
The suspect then fled and officers set up a perimeter in the area. Police K-9s and the helicopter were called to assist. The suspect, identifed as Michael Kennedy, 19, was taken into custody following an hourlong search.
At some point, Kennedy allegedly stole a bike from a detached garage and tried to ride out of the perimeter, Gigante said. An officer recognized the suspect from descriptions broadcast over the police radio and tackled him. That officer was injured in the brief altercation and treated at the hospital, she said.
Gigante said Kennedy was booked for outstanding warrants, and on suspicion of fleeing from police and felony assault on an officer.