A legal gun owner with their lawfully carried handgun was in the right place at the right time to end a potentially deadly incident on I-5 in Washington State this past weekend. Police say 41-year old Jeremy Yates, who has a history of arrests and mental health incidents, was on the shoulder of the interstate and tossing chunks of concrete, pipes, and even a trailer hitch at the windshields of cars speeding down the highway. Sandra Wilde, one of the victims, says it was the most terrifying moment of her life.
Her voice still quivered as she described what happened that Saturday afternoon on Nov. 2.
“I watched him throw it with all his might. It hit my windshield and the glass went all over me,” she said, describing the damage to her orange Subaru Crosstrek.
“He threw the trailer hitch and it hit right here,” Wilde said. “He grabbed it and continued to hit the window five times and then it broke.”
“I drew my pistol,” Jacob said. “I aimed it at his head because as I got closer to him, he still had this chunk of metal in his hand. I said several expletives at him, told him to get on the ground and he was under citizen’s arrest. As I ran up to him, he dropped. He dropped the metal. I went to the ground with him. As I went down with him, he jumped up and wanted to fight my father who was behind me.”
He came up to help me out. I gave my father my pistol and I went toe-to-toe with the guy.”
Jacob ended up pushing Yates away from the shoulder of the interstate to prevent him from jumping in front of any cars. Within minutes police arrived and took the suspect into custody, and thankfully (perhaps miraculously is a better word) no one was seriously injured by Jeremy Yates’ actions.
Sandra Wilde says Jacob is a hero.
Wilde is grateful that Jacob was in the right place at the right time. She says Jacob saved her and other drivers from further harm.
“If Jacob had not stopped him, he would have kept going,” she said.
I don’t know what Sandra Wilde’s views on concealed carry and gun ownership were before a trailer hitch came crashing through her windshield and a bloody stranger tried forcing his way inside her car, but I’ll bet she’s very much in favor of the right to carry since the attack occurred. It sounds like Jacob did a great job and may very well have saved lives, and while he never had to pull the trigger, the presence of that gun in Jacob’s hand prevented Yates from putting any lives in danger. It’s a great example of how armed citizens save lives, which is why you probably won’t hear much about it in the national news.
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