A former mixed martial arts competitor jumped into action to takedown a man that was fighting a cop on the side of the road in Indiana, a report said.
William Cassoday, 39, was driving to visit his mom Monday afternoon when he saw a Porter County Sheriff’s Office patrolman being attacked, according to The Lake Geneva Regional News.
“As I was passing, I see the guy swinging at the cop,” Cassoday reportedly said.
The MMA fighter and Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt pulled over down the road and ran back to the scene as suspect Christopher Delgado, 37, was in position to attack two other people, the article said.
Cassoday then put his arm around Delgado’s neck from behind and used his other arm to tighten the grip in a “rear-naked choke,” according to the outlet.
“He couldn’t do anything because I was squeezing on his neck and then he kinda felt like he went limp for a second and so I loosen[ed] it up,” Cassoday told WMAQ-TV.
“I’m 280 pounds — this guy was probably half my size,” he added.
The Valparaiso resident took the pugnacious perp down to the ground, where Patrolman Jamison Smith was able to put him in handcuffs.
Delgado was pulled over after Smith recognized him as an auto theft suspect, the report said. The suspect initially pretended he was someone else before throwing punches when he was placed under arrest.
He was charged with felony count of battery on a law enforcement officer resulting in bodily injury, misdemeanor resisting law enforcement and false informing, according to the report.
For Cassoday, stepping in to help the cop was business as usual.
“Stuff like that doesn’t bother me,” the fighter reportedly said.
Officials later said they “cannot thank Mr. William Cassoday enough for his courageous actions.”
“Putting his own safety aside, he ran into harm’s way, assisting Officer Smith in taking a felon into custody,” Porter County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Benjamin McFalls reportedly said.
“Mr. Cassoday willingly jumped into a fight, in which our officer was being violently attacked,” he continued.
“Mr. Cassoday exemplified what it means to be a resident of Porter County. We will be honoring him in the near future.”