Three men stopped another from attempting to kidnap his wife while she held her infant on June 2, 2023, according to cops in Plymouth, Massachusetts. (Screenshot: NBC Boston; image: Plymouth Police Department)
Three men stepped up as heroes when a Massachusetts husband attempted to kidnap his wife with a fake gun, according to cops in Plymouth.
Officers received multiple calls at 9 a.m. on Friday regarding the defendant, a 39-year-old man whose name has not been released, “chasing a woman down the street with a gun,” police said in a Facebook statement. Cops claim he violated a restraining order by showing up at his estranged wife’s residence.
“Possessing a face mask and handcuffs, he tried to kidnap her by picking her up and grabbing her by the head and neck while she was holding one of their children,” they wrote.
The child was an infant, Plymouth police Capt. Jason Higgins told WCVB. The defendant grabbed the woman by the throat and mouth and dragged her out of the house, Higgins said.
The woman, however, managed to scream, which got the attention of Jamie Costa, a lifelong Plymouth resident and former corrections officer, officers said.
Costa was actually the last civilian awarded by the police department for bravery when he tackled a felony suspect fleeing police in 2019, police noted.
On Friday, Costa yelled at the man to leave the woman alone “and lined him up for a good old fashioned football tackle,” cops said.
“As he did this, the man pulled a handgun from his waistband,” officers claim.
Two brothers, Jeffrey “Chili” Williams and David Williams, were working nearby and heard the screams too. The men, who Costa described as his friends, rushed to help when they saw what was happening. One of the siblings, who was licensed to carry a gun, pulled out his weapon while the other brother helped Costa as he tackled and disarmed the suspect, police said.
The three good Samaritans held the 39-year-old until Officer Bobby Hackett arrived, figured out what was happening and arrested the man, according to officers.
The husband was charged with violating a restraining order, assault and battery on a family member, kidnapping, assault with a dangerous weapon, and reckless endangerment of a child.
Officers claimed to find two “replica” handguns and a stiletto knife on the husband.
A friend reportedly spoke on the woman’s behalf, saying she asked for privacy.
“Anybody would feel a little bit on edge but she’s doing well,” that friend, Nicole Young, told WHDH. “She’s strong. She’s a good mom. Her kids are her babies so that’s really all she thinks about.”
“We are thankful for Officer Hackett’s ability to quickly read a scene where a struggle was taking place and a man was being held at gunpoint,” cops wrote on Facebook. “We are thankful for our quick thinking, good, able bodied residents who in the words of Officer Hackett, ‘saved this woman’s life.'”
They also said they were thankful for Costa.
” He will be getting another award from us shortly….”
“We just need other people to step up and do the right thing,” Costa told NBC Boston.