BOWLING GREEN, Ohio —
The Bowling Green Police Department has arrested two people for trying to use counterfeit bills, all with the help of two bystanders.
BGPD received several calls recently about two people trying to use counterfeit $100 bills, according to Lt. Ryan Tackett.
Tackett said the police chief was in the area at the time and he saw someone who matched the description of one of the suspects. Tackett said the police chief then began to run after the suspect when the two bystanders stepped in to help.
One of those bystanders was Jeremy King, a traveling superintendent contractor. King is from Texas and is in the area to help finish the Harbor Freight store that is set to open next week at 1080 S. Main St. in Bowling Green. The other man who helped was a painter who was also working on the Harbor Freight store, according to King.
King's time in Ohio has been uneventful, but that changed on Wednesday.
"I was sitting on the wall of the fire hydrant and I heard a police officer come pulling into the driveway," he said. "He screeched to a stop and when he got out, he started screaming for this guy to freeze."
King said it was a spur-of-the-moment decision to help the police. He jumped up and tried to trip the suspect, but it didn't work. He said the suspect took off running across the street where he was eventually taken down by the two good Samaritans.
King said knowing he was able to help makes him feel great.
"I honestly wasn't even looking to be on the news or anything like that," he said. "I was just telling the fire marshal I didn't want all the credit. It was just I felt like I did what was right at the time."
King is living up to the nicknames his wife gave him.
"My wife says that I'm 'Captain Save'em,'" he said. "That's what she says. I'm Captain America. I like to save people."
BGPD is seeing more counterfeit bills circulate around the area. Tackett said if businesses or people get bills that seem suspicious, they should report it to police.
Tackett said the bills for this case have already been turned in to the Secret Service, and the goal is to see if they can be tied to other counterfeit bills circulating in the area.
He added that in this situation, while King and the other man did help catch the suspect, bystanders should be careful getting involved when police are trying to make an arrest.
This wasn't the first time King had gotten involved in lending a helping hand.
"There was a house that was burning next door and I had to run in and help a guy get out of the house," he said.
King said he just stepped in because it was the right place and the right time.
"If you see a situation where you're able to help somebody you should be willing to help because you never know when you're going to be in a situation when somebody could do the same thing," King said.