KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — An off-duty detective found herself suddenly back on duty when she saw a man pull out a gun while she was running a marathon.
Hundreds of runners were in Kalamazoo for the Zeigler Kalamazoo Marathon, including an off-duty Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety detective. But she wasn’t off duty for long.
“I saw police car after police car, and sirens and a lot of commotion,” recalled neighbor Despina Kaps.
Around 9 a.m. Sunday, the off-duty detective noticed a man and woman arguing inside of a parked car. Police said the detective saw the man pull out a gun and the woman running away on Winchell Avenue.
Investigators said as the detective was dealing with the situation, a nearby officer who was directing traffic tried to arrest the man but he took off. A chase began.
“I could feel it right here, could feel something bad was going on,” said Kaps.
Kaps was walking through the area and said she was scared.
“And I asked one of the officers if I should be concerned because I live on Chevy Chase (Boulevard) and he said, ‘If I were you, I would lock the doors of your home,’” Kaps recalled.
More officers flooded the area to try to catch the suspect. Body camera video released by KDPS shows officers with a dog searching for the suspect. Less than a mile away, they found the 22-year-old in a backyard on Chevy Chase Boulevard hiding under a boat.
Kaps said she’s grateful for police who are on the job even when they’re off the clock.
“Not only on the job, off the job — they have eyes behind their eyes, and they are concerned about our well-being,” Kaps said.
Police said they found more than twenty individual packages of suspected cocaine in the suspect’s jacket. A handgun was found in the car. The 22-year-old is facing charges, including resisting and obstructing arrest and being a felon in possession of a gun.