LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Direct support from community members helped police apprehend a man who was fleeing police Saturday.
People told officers the direction in which the fleeing man had run.
An LEX 18 crew heard officers going around to those who had helped them and say “thank you so much you got guns off the street.”
It's the sort of small gesture that may not seem newsworthy during typical times. Right now though it's anything from typical with a total of nine shootings in the past week alone, nearly 100 for the calendar year.
The violence led an emotional Police Chief Lawrence Weathers to explain that some of his officers had been leaving the department because they hadn’t been appreciated. He would go on to explain that to curb the violence, people need to become more involved in public safety.
“The stuff that’s happening out here — it’s happening because we are letting the criminals win. We cannot do that anymore,” Weathers said. “If you want this place to remain the best place, stand up, say something. Step out and step in and get involved”
A woman LEX 18 spoke with at the scene of Thursday’s arrest said it made her feel good that she was able to help police.
The man, who fled during a traffic stop on Liberty Road, was arrested and charged with trafficking in a controlled substance 1st degree enhanced by a firearm, possession of marijuana, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, fleeing and evading 2nd degree. His name has not been shared.
