Deputy Under Attack Saved by 3 Heroes

When a reportedly errant motorist ran a stop sign and nearly struck a Polk County deputy’s motorcycle, the law enforcement officer swung into action, initiating what he likely thought would be a routine encounter.

That Sunday morning encounter in Winter Haven turned out to be anything but routine and now three men who stepped up to assist are being heralded as heroes by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

According to the sheriff’s office, the scene began to unfold around 9 a.m. Sunday when Deputy Mike Walsh spotted a vehicle that failed to stop for a sign. “Walsh had to brake his motorcycle to avoid being struck by the car,” the sheriff’s office stated.

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Walsh immediately flipped on his lights, but the driver of the car did not stop right away. He finally did in the area of Winter Lake and Camellia roads, but continued to ignore the deputy’s instructions. Rather than remain in his vehicle as instructed, the driver, the sheriff’s office said, got out and began punching Walsh in the head and face.

The attack caused Walsh to drop his radio headset and sent him careening to the ground. The motorist then “straddled Walsh across his chest and continued to punch him,” the sheriff’s office said. As the man kept trying to reach for Walsh’s duty belt, Walsh “kept one hand firmly on his firearm so that the suspect could not remove it.”

Walsh was finally able to flip the man off him, but the motorist got up and started to flee on foot. His getaway, however, was not meant to be.

As the incident unfolded in broad daylight, three separate motorists stopped their own vehicles to come to the deputy’s aid.

George Cooper was the first to run over and check on the deputy before going after the motorist, the sheriff’s office said. Antonio Velazquez also stopped his car and attempted to tackle the motorist as Walsh was once again able to reclaim his footing. A third man, Christopher Carver, stopped and joined the other three in subduing the suspect so he could be brought into custody.

Walsh suffered a broken thumb and several cuts and bruises during the attack, the sheriff’s office said. His motorcycle helmet managed to deflect many of the blows to the head, the agency noted.

As for the motorist, Corey Johnson, 32, now faces aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, resisting an officer without violence, depriving an officer of a means of communication, felony criminal mischief, fleeting to elude a law enforcement officer and driving on a suspended license charges. He was also wanted on several active warrants, the sheriff’s office stated, including grand theft and domestic violence.

While Johnson is now behind bars, Sheriff Judd is publically thanking the three good Samaritans who helped save his deputy.

“There are people in this world who have no respect for the law, or for the peacekeepers and those who are sworn to uphold the law,” Judd said. “Yes, some of those people live right here in Polk County. But we also are blessed that there are people in this county who support law enforcement and first responders. When they see something, they say something - or they do something. These three men, who do not know each other or Deputy Walsh, probably had better things to do on a Sunday morning than jump out of their cars to help catch a violent fleeing suspect. We can never thank them enough for their selfless actions. George Cooper, Antonio Velazquez, and Christopher Carver - you are our heroes.”

Photo of Deputy Mike Walsh courtesy of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page