Photo By Sgt. Joseph Jacob | Pfc. Noah Jordan and Pfc. Caleb Montgomery pose with two officers of the Lexington,...... read more read more
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COLUMBIA, S.C. -- After enduring 13 weeks of transformative and demanding training aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, two new Marines from Lexington, South Carolina, had their newly acquired skills and training put to the test in a way they had not expected.
Pfcs. Noah Jordan and Caleb Montgomery had just pulled up to their local recruiting substation to assist with the station’s evening physical training when they heard a commotion from across the parking lot of their local Best Buy.
“We could just hear yelling at first, and we looked over and saw the police chasing after a suspect fleeing from the Best Buy,” said Montgomery, 19, from Irmo, South Carolina.
The suspect had just been caught attempting credit card fraud and was attempting to flee the scene. The new Marines immediately assessed the situation and took action.
“I looked at Montgomery and said, 'We’re going to do this,' then ran,” said Jordan, 18, from Lexington.
The pair took off in the direction of the suspect, running straight for him and cutting off his escape route.
“The suspect tripped over himself when we ran up to him, and then when he looked up at two Marines blocking his path, he gave up trying to get away,” explained Montgomery.
Patrolman First Class William Norris smiled while recalling the Marines' actions.
“In my years as a police officer, I have only seen it a couple times where a bystander has intervened to help the police,” said Norris. “Typically, people will stand by and pull out their phones to record the encounter, so it felt really motivating to see somebody actually take action and help us catch them.”
The pair attributed their decisiveness to training from their drill instructors at Parris Island and their local recruiters at Marine Corps Recruiting Substation Lexington.
“It was definitely a positive surprise when the police came up to the station after the incident to tell us what these young men had done,” explained Staff Sgt. Ty Fletcher, the staff noncomissioned officer-in-charge of Recruiting Substation Lexington. “We spend a lot of time teaching these young men and women the core values of the Marine Corps, so when we get to see them come back from bootcamp and put those values into action, it is highly rewarding for us as recruiters.”
On Oct. 31, representatives from the Lexington Police Department came to Marine Recruiting Substation Lexington to present the two Marines with a letter of appreciation for their part in stopping the fleeing suspect.
Once Montgomery and Jordan finish their 10 days of leave, they will report to the School of Infantry at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, before attending formal schooling for their military occupational specialties.
| Date Taken: | 10.31.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 11.01.2019 09:21 |
| Story ID: | 350128 |
| Location: | LEXINGTON, SC, US |
| Hometown: | IRMO, SC, US |
| Hometown: | LEXINGTON, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 324 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Lexington, S.C., Natives Stop Suspect Fleeing from Police, by Sgt Joseph Jacob, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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