Lieutenant Tran Nhat Duy, an officer in Ward 2 of Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Binh District, was patrolling with his team on Wednesday afternoon when he saw three men exhibiting "suspicious signs" on Bach Dang Street.
The three were traveling on two motorbikes.
As they were about to reach a store, one of them got off and walked towards a motorbike parked outside the store while the other two drove the two motorbikes away and waited nearby. They were attempting to steal the mtoorbike.
Officer Duy approached the man who was on foot and asked him to present his ID.
The man then suddenly screamed to alert his accomplices.
The two men drove one motorbike over and hit both Duy and the other man.
Then the other man hopped on the motorbike to flee and Duy ran after them.
One of them attacked Duy with pepper spray but the officer did not give up pursuit.
He caught one of the men, identified as Dinh Van Vinh, 46, pulled him off the motorbike, and subdued him.
The entire incident was captured on a neighborhood security camera.
Lieutenant Tran Nhat Duy (L) is praised by Colonel Le Hoai Phong at Tan Binh District's Police Department, May 11, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Nhat Vy |
Colonel Le Hoai Phong, head of the Tan Binh Police Department, praised Lieutenant Duy for his brave and determined action on Friday.
Duy suffered keratitis from the pepper spray but said it was all part of the "duties and responsibilities" of a police officer.
"My comrades have faced situations that are far more dangerous than this but they didn’t make a big deal out of it," he concluded.
Vinh has been caught multiple times for motorbike theft. The police are looking for his accomplices.