Peabody Police Thank Retired Lynn Fire Chief For Assist In Foot Chase

PEABODY, MA — Peabody police on Tuesday issued a heartfelt public "thank you" to retired Lynn Fire Chief Stephen Archer for assisting in the apprehension of a fleeing suspect and for tending to an officer who was injured in that pursuit.

Peabody police said the officer was "injured in a foot pursuit that turned physical" on County Street and that a civilian unknown to the police at the time used his vehicle to block the path of the fleeing suspect, allowing for the apprehension of the suspect.

Police said the civilian then helped attend to the injured officer until more support could arrive.

"It turns out he is no stranger to public service as he was identified as the recently retired Lynn Fire Chief Stephen Archer," police said. "We thank you for your assistance Ret. Chief Stephen Archer.

"Different family. Same brotherhood."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)