Police sergeant helps man tie his tie for job interview

— -- Willie Hatcher was on his way to a job interview Monday morning when he approached Officer Abenet Carper and Sgt. Howard Marshall, both with the St. Louis County Police Department, to ask for help tying his tie.

“It was a really cool moment. One of the better moments of my career,” Marshall, who has been on the force for 19 years, told ABC News of the pleasant surprise.

Marshall obliged, first practicing on himself, then handing the tie back to Hatcher to coach him through the process.

Carper caught the heartwarming moment on camera, which now has more than 10,000 likes and nearly 3,000 shares on the St. Louis County Police Department’s Facebook page.

All the attention has proven fruitful for Hatcher who wrote on the post that he is now employed.

“Yes I now have [three] jobs and now I'm famous,” he said in the comments on the viral photo.

The police department is unsure what job Hatcher landed but has plans to speak with him later today to get details.

“This was just a good moment and I’m very happy to have taken part in it,” said Marshall. “I was taken aback.”

Marshall and Carper said Hatcher was apprehensive at first to approach them, but they’re thrilled he did and hope the tie had at least a small part in helping him secure a job.

“He kept staring at us, probably for 10 or 15 minutes,” Marshall recalled. “I didn’t know if he was going to come over and voice his displeasure with us.”

The sergeant said he thinks Hatcher’s hesitation might have been due to the recent protests and unrest plaguing St. Louis, but instead, “it was such a nice moment -- just one person helping another.”

“It took away the fact that people are mad at the police,” he explained. “It was just a great moment between two people. It took away everything from the outside world. It was a very good, peaceful moment.”

And he has a special message for Hatcher: “I want to know what job he got, and I want to talk to him and tell him congrats. We’re so happy for him.”