Three military veterans are being hailed as heroes for risking their own lives to take down a man wanted for a string of bank robberies -- and save a woman from a carjacking.
The real story is, there was an elderly woman getting carjacked and citizens went into action," Black Mountain Police Chief Steve Parker said on Thursday. "Obviously, we always say you have to use caution and be careful, but they stepped up and could've maybe saved a life and stopped somebody who's a dangerous criminal.
It started Thursday, June 1, with a chase in Black Mountain and ended with the suspect crashing on I-240 after he drove the wrong way on the interstate.
A viewer shared video of the scene on I-240 after suspect Kelvin Wayne Simmons, wanted by U.S. Marshals for multiple armed robberies in five North Carolina counties, crashed after fleeing from Black Mountain police.
Police said they suspected he was planning to rob a bank in Black Mountain Thursday just before they tracked him down.
When Simmons crashed Thursday in Asheville, police said he got out of his vehicle and attempted to hijack a woman's vehicle, as she was stopped on the interstate.
Trevor Hough, who served in the U.S. Army for 30 years, risked his own life to run up and intervene.
He dove into that car and she screamed, ‘Help me, he’s trying to kill me!'" Hough said, "and that's when I got up, out of my vehicle and said, I have to help this woman -- and ran over to her vehicle. He's trying to steal the car and push her out; he's hitting her.
Hough said the suspect put the woman's car into drive and slammed into other cars, which he said gave him a chance to intervene and put the car in park.
He was then able to pull the suspect from the vehicle, then two other veterans and Hough were able to overpower Simmons and immobilize him on the ground until law enforcement arrived.
Hough said his military training kicked in to help others, running toward where the need is when it comes to saving a life.
I said, 'Get the car in park,' because I was worried about him escaping and running me and the woman over," Hough explained. "When I had him on the ground, he was reaching behind, trying to reach under him. I assessed at one point he did have a gun and he was reaching for it but during the auto accidents that he caused at some point, perhaps he lost his weapon.
Police haven’t said if they recovered a gun but Hough said he told Simmons if he produced a gun things would rapidly change.
“He stopped and his demeanor very much was, 'I need water; I don’t feel well,'" Hough continued.
Black Mountain Police Chief Parker said Simmons had not yet been processed by law enforcement, as he was "taken to the hospital after the arrest due to a medical condition."
Asheville Police Department also said Simmons was being charged in Buncombe County with first-degree kidnapping and assault on a female.
Simmons remained at Mission Hospital Friday evening, though police said they don’t know any details on why he’s been hospitalized. Police said as soon as he’s released, he will face formal criminal charges, which include attempted carjacking and fleeing arrest.