Footage Shows Guard Hold Man at Gunpoint, But There’s More to the Story Than Meets the Eye

An intense video posted online late last week shows a Salt Lake City security guard detain a man with a knife at gunpoint — but there's more to the story than meets the eye.

“I never would have guessed that what happened before was actually what happened,” Salt Lake City Police Sgt. Robin Heiden told KSL-TV. “There are three different things going on in this case. You can’t make this stuff up.”

Watch the intense footage (content warning: foul language):

According to police, the man being detained on the ground during the March 17 incident was actually a victim himself. The individual used a knife to confront the suspect he thought had stolen his bicycle. The nearby security guard saw the scene and thought the man with the knife was the aggressor. That's when he moved into action and detained him at gunpoint.

“He saw a male with a knife kick a bicycle with another male on it, and then brandish a knife,” Heiden told KSL.

“On the other side of the story, the male that had the knife — his bike was stolen,” Heiden added. “He was looking for his bike and he found his bike.”

Video of the intense situation captured bystanders rush to the scene in an attempt to de-escalate things.

“Yo, put the gun down!” one man yelled. “At this point, an accident could happen. He’s on the floor. There’s a bunch of us out here. There’s no need for you to be pointing a gun to a man’s back.”

The man on the ground could be heard begging the guard not to shoot.

"Please, don't shoot me! I wanted my bike back, that's it!" he pleaded.

Police quickly arrived on the scene and took control of the situation, detaining the man on the ground until they sorted the situation out. Authorities said they weren't worried about the security guard holding the man at gunpoint because they knew him from previous incidents.

Ultimately, none of the parties opted to press charges, KSL reported. The man who drew a knife on the alleged bike thief also got his property back, police said.

—

Follow Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) on Twitter