MODESTO, Calif. — A former Army Lieutenant and an off-duty fire captain detained a man who came into a bar firing what appeared to be a gun Monday night, according to the Modesto Police Department.
Justyn Wesson, 18, of Modesto, walked into the Tap Room at Sylvan Avenue and Claus Road Monday around 9:45 p.m. He fired what turned out to be a pellet gun towards the ceiling, according to the Modesto Police Department.
Retired Army Lt. Derek Hudson and Modesto firefighter John Walker tackled Wesson and detained him until officers arrived.
"I could see the guy standing outside of the restaurant wrapping his sweatshirt around his head and I thought, 'That's kind of different,'" said Derek Hudson, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant.
Hudson was enjoying a burger at the Tap Room bar just before 10 p.m. on Monday night when a man walked in and started firing a pellet gun into the ceiling.
"As he stood right in front of me, as he came right in front of me, he tried to lower it into my face and that's when I grabbed it and it was a wrestling match at that point," he said.
He was able to knock the gun out of the suspect's hand. That's when he tried to get away and almost ran out the front door.
"I went after the guy to kind of get him on the ground and start to apprehend him and kind of hold him down until the Modesto Police Department arrived," said John Walker, a captain for the Modesto Fire Department.
Walker, who was off-duty at the time, said he tackled the man to the ground before he could escape.
"That's kind of the instinct that you have. You try to make the situation better no matter what that is. You kinda took that oath to the citizens of the community to protect, whether you're on or off-duty, or whatever situation you may be in," Walker said.
Both Walker and Hudson helped pin the man to the ground until police showed up within about five minutes.
"A year in Iraq during the invasion, that's enough to condition you," Hudson said.
Little did they know at the time, police say the man they were pinning down,18-year-old Justyn Wesson, had just gone on a crime spree.
The Modesto Police Department said Wesson robbed the Village Wine & Market, Taqueria Carolina, and the AM/PM Arco gas station while wearing a mask and carrying the pellet gun. He walked away with an undisclosed amount of money before he was apprehended at the Tap Room.
Wesson was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail for three counts of robbery and one attempted robbery charge.
Hudson and Walker were given the Modesto Police Department Citizen Recognition coin for their actions.
"These men are a great example of citizens taking action to protect themselves and their community while being in the right place at the right time," the department said.
Anyone with information regarding the robberies should contact Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636.
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