Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood. (Photo: UDPD.org)
An armed concealed carrier rescued a police officer last Friday from a throng of rowdy teens near Upper Darby High School, Philly.com reports.
“There were 40 kids. If it wasn’t for the good Samaritan stepping forward, he’d have been dead meat,” Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood told the paper. “There’s no doubt they would have attacked him.”
Each afternoon, as the school day ends, upwards of 4,000 teens take to the streets. Many times, there are no altercations. But last Friday, for whatever reason, three fights broke out near the school.
One of the fights took place on Wayne Avenue near Marshall Road. The responding officer initially succeeded in breaking up the fight. However, it didn’t last long as one of the combatants began attacking the officer.
“As he breaks up the fight, he takes one kid and then the other jumps [on] him. Now he’s fighting two of them and he’s calling for an assist officer at the same time,” Chitwood said. “There’s a crowd of 40 or 50 kids watching the fight, and they all move in towards the officer.”
But when seconds counted, the officer’s backup was minutes away. Thankfully, a good Samaritan saw the incident from his home not too far from the scene and decided to come to the officer’s aid.
“He had the gun in his hand, but he didn’t point it at the kids, he just told them to back off,” Chitwood said. “If this guy didn’t come out and come to the aid of the officer, this officer would have had significant problems.”
The gun owner has not been identified, but according to reports he is a 35-year-old Upper Darby resident with a valid concealed carry permit.
The responding officer suffered significant “hand injuries,” according to Chitwood, and another officer, who heard the call for backup, also suffered an injury to the leg after one of the teens kicked him.
The two students who fought were arrested and charged with aggravated assault on police, riot, harassment and other related offenses. They were taken into custody at the Delaware County juvenile detention center.
In total, eight students were arrested in the various fights around the school. Six of the eight attend Upper Darby High.
“There’s thousands of kids that walk to and from that school without a problem, but every once in a while you get these wannabe gangsters, and if they want to be gangsters, we’ll treat them like gangsters,” Chitwood said.
Police have increased the after-school patrols twofold following the Friday afternoon fights.
“Our goal is to make sure these kids get home safe,” Chitwood said. “I can’t emphasize it enough, but the majority of these kids are decent kids.”
I have been assisted by good citizens especially ones that knew me personally whole ln the beat. Police officers appreciate the help. Regarding the pointing of a weapon at anyone (wait U til you know you will be shooting it) this could be prosecuted (by any D.A. if he chooses) as a Assault by means of a deadly weapon. Remember. Assault only means you put the fear into another person. The Battery is any actual unlawful touching (shooting, punching etc). The “threat” someone feels by another person, be it words, weapon pointed, closed fist waved, is the Assault by law. For example if you swing and miss someone with a single punch that’s Simple (misdemeanor) assault. If you strike them that’s the battery. Killing someone is 100% homicide. Whether it’s justifiable or not will determine whether criminals charges COULD follow. That goes for everyone. Also might I add that technically only Law Enforcement officials are sworn to protect other people and hence forth given more latitude by the law and courts in carrying out that job. Private carry folks MAY always protect themselves from “the direct chance of serious bodily injury or death. BUT they will be harshly judged everytime they come to someone else’s defense OUTSIDE their 1. Residence. 2. Motor vehicle. Hope this helps. As a retired homicide investigator and criminologist I can say State Laws vary but this information is pretty universally accepted thinking.
Why is this such a extraordinary story? Because it seems that the police are more comfortable treating the citizens as hostiles in and occupied territory. The last thing any one wants is to have a police officer spot you with a weapon in hand. They won’t wait to shoot you. No questions asked. He had a gun, near me, I was scared, boom! If so many officers are that afraid of crowds, kids, minorities, maybe they should find other employment. Honestly, I believe in my heart, that if I saw an officer in need of assistance, I would ask. In a loud voice, from far away and behind cover, only exposing one waiving hand.
I can see your not a police officer. You obviously haven’t seen these kids as you say. Some of these kids are huge and built like an adult men. Then on top of that you have a pack of them they act like animals, no compassion. We had two 10- year old who robbed a 67 year old grandmother in the Bronx. That’s a 10 year old, imagine what their mentality is when they get to high school. Hey, let’s beat up a cop, then let’s kill a cop. If your not walking a beat and protecting our neighborhood then shut up. You have know idea what it takes to be a cop. That’s why your not one.
Exactly; it takes one or more ride-alongs for cop and gun haters to change their outlook. When they see what’s on the streets of any city, they quickly change their perspectives on what officers face every shift, especially after dark!
I was a cop for 37yrs. and have always said that a law abiding citizen would come to the aid of a officer in need of help,
if the government would allow them to legally carry a firearm. My predictions have come true on numerous occasions
and officers were able to go home to their families. My hat is off to the young man who would not stand by and allow a fellow human being to be harmed. That was why I took the job, to protect innocent people from the a–holes of the world. Again, a job well done! Thank you.
In this article it mentions that a gun was not pointed at the kids who were trying to hurt the officer. Enough of the political correctness! If there is a gang of 40 ,men, wemon, or kids trying to hurt you, i think you would have to point your gun. Last time i checked, kids/young gang bangers kill lots of people every year.
No He was very smart. By pointing the gun at the kids, He may have caught a lawsuit or charges from one of the kids parents.
Just the fact that He had it and was willing to use it if needed, did the trick. Smart guy!
So why should there even be a “law” about pointing a gun at anyone. This stupidity and “PC” has gotten so out of hand that grade school kids are being punished and expelled from school for pointing their finger at someone or playing any game (like old fashion cops and robbers) that involves guns. I can remember years back when the red dot laser sights came into existence it was a fun game to put the dot on a buddy and have them try and find out where it was coming from. Some half wit liberal thought this might scare someone so a law was passed to “protect” society. In Texas a Congressman tried to pass a law against blow guns stating that if it could kill an animal it could kill a “human” and should be outlawed. It was so comprehensive that if a kid shot another kid with a straw and spit wad he was guilty of a felony. Thank God people are beginning to understand that Political Correctness is nothing more than a form of censorship.
Agree. Also there is an escalation factor and dealing with a mob (bunch of people). Approaching as he did was the first best choice. He could escalate from this first stance if needed. In this he let the kids make their own decisions about what they saw (calm man with a gun – that could kill me) and seems they made the decision to back down; as to the alternative, man with a gun pointed and threatening me and my friends but not pointed at me so, maybe I’ll grab that rock and…
Thanks ObamaTheTurd, George Soros, and of course BeYondSee and Z Jay.
This will be a problem in the future and it won’t be stopped immediately but we ar going to need a bigger prison system until society respects the police again. 99% of the police are good people but we’re in this Bizzaro period where the media tells only the bad, even when it’s know to be wrong or even fabricated, while so much good is going on unreported.
God Bless the USA!
Looking at Chitwood’s eyes in the photo, you can almost imagine seeing an “I know better than you” libtard holiness.
No surprise that liberal Philly/U. Darby would import an anti-2A bureaucrat. He’s more at home there than in Maine.
It’s interesting to see Chief Chitwood in the role of defending a 2A concealed carrier when it wasn’t that many years ago as police chief of Portland Maine he did everything he could to disarm law abiding gun owners. Talk about the ultimate hypocrisy! How do I know this; because I have lived my entire life 30 miles North of Portland Maine and Michael Chitwoods antics were well know and documented throughout the state. The best thing that could have happened to the citizens of Maine was when Michael Chitwood moved away.
He even looks like a pencil neck geek leftist MFer! Glad you got rid of him.
Chitwood is no friend of gun owners. He used to be the police chief here in Maine, and was leaning towards the Bloomberg view of guns in general. Maybe he has changed, but I’m not betting on it.
What no pictures, oh well, I can kind of visualize what I need to know, based on history.
Thank God for that citizen being ready and willing and armed and able to step up and in. Another good guy with a gun. Lets see what the anti gun police chiefs have to say about this event.
Upper Darby aint Philadelphia just like Yonkers aint New York City. Other than that, “Punk kids”!