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Good Samaritan Assists Officer In Apprehending Armed Suspect

Ramon Resendiz
Ramon Resendiz (credit: Denver Police Department)

DENVER (CBS4) - A dangerous arrest in West Denver came about with the help of a good Samaritan who assisted a police officer who was trying to apprehend a suspect he didn't realize was armed.

Ramon Resendiz, 40, allegedly had a gun in his hand while fighting with a police officer. That's when a civilian jumped in and helped. Resendiz was charged with drug possession, assaulting an officer and a weapons charge. He's in jail and Officer Wesley Kvasnicka is safe because of the action of the good Samaritan who didn't want to be identified.

It was Sunday afternoon at 3rd and Federal when Kvasnicka was on a welfare check for a woman who was passed out and being carried down an alley by two men. One of the men was allegedly Resendiz, who wanted nothing to do with police.

"He starts running down the alley, and I'm like, 'Stop running.' And we go around the telephone poll and right out onto 3rd," Kvasnicka said.

Resendiz ran through oncoming traffic and into the median. He got into a wrestling match with Officer Kvasnicka and witnesses at a steakhouse poured outside to watch as the men rolled into the lanes. Then someone in the crowd saw Resendiz reach for something.

"One of the citizens from the crowd says, 'Officer, I'm going to help you, can I help you?' And I said, 'Yeah, let's get this guy under control.' And he makes his way up and he yells at me, 'Officer, he's got a gun,' " Kvasnicka said.

The bystander wrestled the gun away from Resendiz, who already had his finger on the trigger. Kvasnicka is lucky the good Samaratain was there. He said he didn't know the suspect had a gun and the situation could have turned in an instant.

"The fact that there was a gun in there just shows that he has a lot of courage and it's pretty amazing he was ready to risk that," Kvasnicka said.

Denver police say they are considering giving the civilian an award of some kind, but they aren't sure he wants the attention.

Police are still searching for the second suspect.

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