Two police officers have said they 'would do it again in a heartbeat' after tackling a robber bearing what they thought was a firearm. PCs Dean Sobey and Rowan Birch were on a night time patrol in Bristol as members of the Avon and Somerset Police response team when they discovered a distressed woman as they drove around in September 2019.
PC Sobey and PC Birch explained in an episode of BBC's Critical Incident which aired today, October 31, that the woman was pointing to a man who was stood next to her, saying he had pulled a gun out on her. After seeing the two officers, the man rode off on a pushbike towards New Bridewell, with the officers making the decision to follow him.
PC Sobey was driving the vehicle, and managed to box the suspect in on Rupert Street, causing him to fall off the bike onto the floor. Meanwhile, PC Birch got out of the passenger seat and went around the back of the car, blocking the suspect in from another direction, in case he decided to run back on himself.
