Kilgore Police Department Perfectly Deescalated Hostile Situation
It's always easy to point out when people are doing something wrong, and it is especially important to get things right when you're in a position of power such as law enforcement. But I also feel like if we are going to point those doing wrong, it's also important to highlight those doing the right thing. There was one specific post online regarding the Kilgore Police Department doing everything they could to best handle a situation that was getting out of hand.
The comment was made by a mother who was with her daughter filling up her gas tank at the Clayton's Git-N-Go station near the circle. There were two officers that already had an elderly man in handcuffs who was being difficult. He was yelling, causing a scene, and the KPD officers responded perfectly.
The Elderly Man in Handcuffs Was Scaring Citizens Close to the Gas Station
The mother who reported the incident on the Heads Up Kilgore Facebook Group mentioned that her daughter and others near the incident were getting anxious and uncomfortable. The man then threw himself onto the ground causing even more commotion. But the officers remained calm, talked to the man, and got him to stop shouting.
Kilgore Officers Then Removed the Handcuffs From the Elderly Man
After the elderly man calmed down the handcuffs were removed and the officers helped him off the ground and give him a bottle of water. The officers could have arrested the man for yelling and making the situation worse than it needed to be, but they stayed calm and resolved the issue without anyone being taken into custody. They also showed all the kids at the gas station that our local officers are always trying to help, not just about arresting people and taking them to jail. While I don't know exactly how the interaction ended, it's so nice to see a positive post online regarding the KPD.
Thank you Kilgore officers and all law enforcement in East Texas that works daily to keep our communities safe. Here is the exact post that was made online: