They Were Just Doing Their Job, Heroes Explain

Dick Heldenbrand, 48, was at a Zip-Trip, grabbing a soda and a copy of Wheel Deals.

Dave Halvorson, 39, was driving to Costco with his wife.

Rob, 49, who doesn’t want his last name used, was filling his car’s tank at a self-service gas station.

It was rush hour on the busy Division and Lincoln Road intersection in north Spokane.

While dozens of people stood and gawked, these average Joes rushed to rescue two Spokane Police officers who were getting their clocks cleaned by an out-of-control suspect.

“It took me only a second to see nobody was going to help these guys,” says Heldenbrand, who sells plumbing supplies. “I’m not a tough guy. I guess I’m just fed up with crime and cops getting a bad rap.”

The other day I told you about Patrolman Barry O’Connell. He was on a mission to find the angels he believes may well have saved his life and the life of his partner, Kevin Kliewer, by subduing their attacker.

Well, O’Connell’s angels have landed. They checked in shortly after the column aired, although it appears the lawman was a bit off on his numbers.

He thought six Samaritans saved him. There were actually four, but don’t hold O’Connell’s math against him.

The patrolman took a hard elbow to his chin during the melee. The blow nearly cooled him so he was probably seeing double.

Rob works for Kaiser in Mead. Halvorson runs the store at Indian Creek Campground at Priest Lake.

The fourth angel, described as a tall black man, left a message on my voice mail but wouldn’t give his name: “He doesn’t have to thank me,” he said. “I just wanted to help.”

It would be nice if this guy identified himself. The police department plans to hold a brief ceremony in the days ahead to award the men letters of commendation for bravery.

They deserve it. As O’Connell says, “It takes a special kind of person to stick his neck out.”

The officer knows all about the thankless nature of getting involved. A year ago, O’Connell jumped into the Spokane River to rescue an armed robbery suspect.

The suspect led police on a foot race through Riverfront Park and then tried to make a watery getaway.

The bone-biting cold stopped him in deep water. He probably would have drowned had O’Connell not pulled him back to shore.

For his courage, O’Connell says the suspect rewarded him by trying to push him under. “At the time,” he adds, “you really don’t think about whether you’ll get hurt.”

What happened on April 12 began peacefully enough.

According to police reports, Kliewer stopped a burly pedestrian who two days earlier had allegedly flipped out in a convenience store.

The more Kliewer tried to reason with him, the more delusional and combative the man became.

That man, Ted Schomer, called me from Eastern State Hospital to give his side of the story. He blames the cops for provoking him for no reason. However, he also says he has a history of mental illness and admits he had been off his medication for some time.

He describes himself as a gentle person who was barely trying to resist.

“If he was hardly trying I’d hate to see him if he was really mad,” says Halvorson. “This guy was so big and so out of control. It scared me.”

The men say they were impressed by O’Connell’s and Kliewer’s restraint. “If there was any situation where a club should have been brought out, this was it,” adds Halvorson.

The community owes its appreciation to the four men who saw a violent situation and made the split-second decision to get involved. They used their combined weight and strength to keep Schomer from doing any more damage to himself or O’Connell and Kliewer.

“The shock hit me afterwards,” adds Heldenbrand, now able to laugh at the experience. “I had an appointment to sign some papers. I was shaking so badly my signature probably isn’t valid.”

, DataTimes