Firefighter Takes Would-be Robber Down

A young man with a makeshift mask pushes a firefighter out of the way in an attempt to rob a gas station.

But that turns out to be a really bad move.

The firefighter immediately grabs the man and takes him to the ground. He then subdues him until help arrives. A police officer apprehends the man and puts handcuffs on him.

The firefighter was identified as Mansfield firefighter and former Marine Daniel Gaskey, reported NBC News.

“My first thought is, ‘What are you doing pushing me?’” he told NBC of the incident.

But as soon as he realized it was a robbery, he acted immediately.

“He then said, ‘I’m not fighting anymore,’” said Gaskey, who was a Marine for eight years and has a wife and two kids.

The suspect, 19-year-old Daniel Bearden, was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery, police told NBC.

Midlothian police Capt. John D. Spann said the department appreciated Gaskey’s actions.

“Sometimes there’s a job that needs to get done,” Gaskey said. “You have to be willing to stand up and help each other.”