By Pat Kinney
Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
WATERLOO, Iowa — Waterloo safety services director Dan Trelka had a memorable Memorial Day weekend — and 29th wedding anniversary.
Trelka and his family were vacationing in San Francisco when he helped an officer there apprehend a subject resisting arrest.
He, his wife and daughters were walking on Market Street a few blocks from the waterfront.
“We’re just walking down the street and I see an officer try to make contact with the guy,” Trelka related. “The officer hops in a car, drives 30 yards, gets out, gets in a short foot pursuit” and a scuffle ensued. Trelka said one of his daughters saw the suspect take a swing at the officer.
Waterloo Police Chief Dan Trelka jumps in and helps San Fransisco police while on vacation. Hear the story tonight pic.twitter.com/72m0hcghS8
— Lauren Moss KWWL (@LMossKWWL) May 31, 2016
Trelka bolted across the street. “I ran to the officer, said, ‘I’m a cop,’ and we got the cuffs on him,” Trelka said.
The subject had an arm tucked under his body as the officer had him down. “I was afraid he had a weapon, " Trelka said. He pulled the subject’s arm out from him and ordered him to open his hand and the officer cuffed him.
One of Trelka’s daughters took photos and posted them on social media.
“What a great memory maker,” Trelka said. “I’m a runner, but my daughters said they didn’t know I could run that fast.” The street was surprisingly empty of traffic then.
Trelka said his actions were almost instinctive. “I thought afterwards, would I have made the same decisions? I said ‘yes.’ That was the right thing to do.”
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