By Steve Neavling
An off-duty Border Patrol was leaving a restaurant with his girlfriend in downtown San Diego this month when he spotted a man slashing a knife through the air while approaching bystanders.
The quick-acting agent urged people to retreat and asked his girlfriend to call 911. He pulled out his personally owned firearm and identified himself as a law enforcement officer, but the man ignored him.
After another off-duty law enforcement officer stepped in to help, the man dropped the knife. The officers detained the man until police arrived.
“As sworn public servants, Border Patrol agents are never really off-duty,” Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said in a news release Monday. “This agent’s actions embody CBP core values – Vigilance, Integrity, and Service to Country. I am proud of his bravery and composure under pressure.”
No one was injured in the incident.
