Incredible Footage Shows Pedestrian Tripping Suspect as He's Running From Police

The incident happened in the UK.

ByABC News
February 9, 2016, 10:55 AM

— -- British police have expressed their gratitude to a stranger who helped them arrest a suspect.

Officers were on patrol in Kingston, United Kingdom, on Saturday when they were made aware of a report of two males dealing drugs, police said in a statement.

The officers chased one of the suspects through the town center "when they received some unexpected assistance from a member of the public," a police spokesperson wrote on the force's Facebook page.

In a video posted online, a young man is seen running away from police officers when a passerby suddenly trips him. The passerby then walks away with a woman by his side while officers arrest the suspect who fell to the ground. The suspect was not injured, police said.

"The Borough Commander was extremely impressed when he saw the footage and would like to meet the passerby personally to say thanks!" police said.

The video prompted many reactions on social media. One Facebook user, Adam Faust, criticized the man's action, writing: "If you count the speed he's going at and tripping someone with your foot to lose balance he 'could' of smashed his head and been killed."

Another Facebook user, Robert Craig, applauded the man's decision, writing: "It is the right thing for decent people to do." Kingston Police also commented on the thread, saying the individual had applied "reasonable force to assist in the lawful arrest of an offender."

The 17-year-old suspect was arrested "on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs" and is free on bail. He is scheduled to appear in court in April. The other suspect in the case managed to get away.