PORTAGE, IN — A wanted felon who had violently attacked a police officer last week in Indiana may have gotten away from law enforcement if it was not for a former MMA fighter who helped to take him down.
William Cassoday, 39, was on his way with his wife to visit his mother to show her their new car. While driving, he noticed a Porter County Sheriff’s Officer being punched in the face, so he immediately pulled over to help the brutalized cop, according to a report by The Blaze.
Had the cop protected him or herself with the same move we wou be waking up to i cant breathe chamts.
— Bitcoincrap (@bitcoincrap) May 22, 2022
The suspect felon was identified as 37-year-old Christopher Delgado, and the officer he allegedly punched was Porter County Sheriff’s Officer Jamison Smith.
Cassoday is an ex-MMA fighter and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu trainer, who is currently working on getting his black belt. He has been training on and off for 13 years, but easily took down the suspect.
Cassoday said:
“I’m 280 pounds — this guy was probably half my size.”
William Cassoday and his wife said they pulled over after seeing a man punching an officer in the face. https://t.co/tkzRKSeqBx
— NECN (@NECN) May 21, 2022
Cassoday came up from behind and put his arm around the suspect’s neck and then used his other arm to tighten the grip in a rear-naked choke. He told WMAQ-TV:
“He couldn’t do anything because I was squeezing on his neck and then he kind of felt like he went limp for a second and so I loosen[ed] it up.”
Cassoday pinned the man within 15 seconds, and the police officer recovered to handcuff the suspect.
As the man attacking the officer repositioned himself to take on two people, William Cassoday said, he turned Christopher Delgado's body and from behind, placed him in what is known as a "rear naked choke." https://t.co/ONL0DqCAd6
— The Courier (@wcfcourier) May 18, 2022
Smith had noticed Delgado walking down the street and stopped him for an outstanding warrant for auto theft. Delgado allegedly attacked Smith during the confrontation.
Delgado was arrested and charged with battery, resisting arrest and providing false information to police, according to the report by The Blaze.
The sheriff’s officer suffered swelling above his right eye from a punch, but is reportedly “going to be OK,” according to the same report.
While being pinned to the ground, Delgado allegedly told Cassoday that he should be a cop.
Cassoday reportedly replied:
“It’s not something I would be interested in. They don’t get enough credit for what they do.”
The wife of Cassoday, Marisa McDaniel, said:
“Not a lot of people would have done that. He was very courageous. He didn’t have to think twice, he did what he had to do.”
Law enforcement officials were very grateful for Cassoday’s help.
According to the Lake Geneva Regional News, Porter County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Benjamin McFalls said:
“Putting his own safety aside, he ran into harm’s way, assisting Officer Smith in taking a felon into custody.
“Mr. Cassoday willingly jumped into a fight, in which our officer was being violently attacked.
“Mr. Cassoday exemplified what it means to be a resident of Porter County. We will be honoring him in the near future.”
Teach your kids to fight.
— Blaire White (@MsBlaireWhite) May 20, 2022
In April, we reported that a deputy was under investigation for using an alleged choke hold while trying to stop a criminal who was reportedly attacking him. Here is that report.
ORANGE COUNTY, FL – The Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) prohibits neck restraint except where deadly force is necessary. Now a sheriff’s deputy is under investigation for deploying a “choke” hold on a man he was trying to detain.
An OCSO deputy is seen in a cell phone video punching a man in the side of the head before wrapping his arm around his neck. Due to the short duration of the video, what led to the altercation it is not seen.
In response to the social media video, the sheriff’s office said that it had been made aware of the incident and the video and a “Response to Resistance” report will be completed and reviewed by their professional standards unit.
According to reports, Deputy Kyle Plavcan initiated a traffic stop on 28-year-old Raheen Ellis last Friday.
The sheriff’s office report indicated that Ellis did not have a driver’s license and the plates on the car he was driving was from a different vehicle.
Ellis allegedly exited the vehicle and pushed the deputy, ran around the parking lot before attempting to get back in his car and drive away.
Deputy Plavcan prevented him from leaving, removing him from the car.
According to ClickOrlando, it was at that point that “Ellis began fighting Plavcan and at one point kicked the deputy in the face.”
It’s unclear how long the altercation lasted prior to the video starting.
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