Derek Meyer (courtesy fox13now.com)

“Just before 2 p.m., an officer spotted a pair of feet dangling from a Tabitha’s Way donation bin along Main Street in Springville,” fox13now.com reports. “He pulled over and asked the person to get out of the bin. That person was Paul Douglas Anderson. Anderson eventually got out of the bin, leaving clothes and shoes on the ground, but he kept his hands in his pockets.” Oh dear . . .

The old SHOW ME YOUR HANDS routine, eh?

Springville Police said that officer asked Anderson multiple times to remove his hands from his pockets, for fear he had a weapon. When Anderson finally removed his hands, he used them to punch the officer in the face.

Police said he kept punching repeatedly until a passerby stopped to help.

A quick lesson here: if you’re close enough to a potential perp get sucker punched, you’re too close. Generally speaking.

OK, so, Officer We Won’t Embarrass Him by Providing His Name is getting the sh*t kicked out of him by a man named Douglas Anderson who emerged from a dumpster dive. Enter . . .

Derek Meyer said he was driving north on Main Street when he spotted the police lights. He said when he looked over he saw Anderson punching the police officer.

Surprised at what he was seeing, Meyer said he made a U-turn and pulled up behind the police car, intending to help . . .

He told Fox 13 he got out of his car, drew his weapon and pointed it at Anderson, yelling at him to get off the officer and stop assaulting him.

Meyer said when Anderson saw the gun, he stopped and ran off. Immediately, other officers responded to the scene and Meyer put his weapon away.

Another quick lesson: if you’re holding a firearm anywhere near a police officer you stand a pretty good chance of getting shot by another police officer. But don’t take my word for it . . .

Cpl. Waters cautioned people like Meyer to be careful, however, because in high-stress situations, officers are wary of anyone nearby with a weapon.

The officer suffered a fractured eye socket and lacerations around the eye. He was released from the hospital and is expected to be OK.

Mr. Meyer told Fox he was glad to share his story because “people don’t hear enough good stories from responsible, gun-owning people.” TTAG readers excepted.

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36 COMMENTS

  1. In other gun/cop news three Utah County Sheriff’s deputies were shot, one fatally, in Colo Springs this afternoon.

    • “Mr. Meyer told Fox  he was glad to share his story because “people don’t hear enough good stories from responsible, gun-owning people.”
      …no fault of yours, Nine, but that is precisely what he meant.
      🤠

  2. That police officer kept his cool, and Mr. Meyer prevented a bad situation from getting worse.

  3. Stories like this need to get more publicity. Not for sake of public opinion in general, but so LEOs will get the sense that law abiding citizens with guns will have their backs if they’re in trouble.

  4. We were taught that if a suspect has his hands in his pants pockets, tell him to keep them there. It’s harder for them to attack or draw a weapon from that position.

  5. My two cents and im not trolling: I really couldn’t care less about cops at this point. They’ve made their bed and they get to lie in it. They’ve made it their lives ambition to harass innocent people, question them without an attorney present, and are allowed to legally lie to somebody. And when a cop is found guilty of wrongdoing, there is little to no punishment for their actions. I should they should all go back to school and learn not only about upholding law but also protecting us, instead of compelling us to incriminate ourselves. I think it was the Kelly Thomas incident that broke the camels back for me. Several beat him to death and they all got off, despite the overwhelming evidence. I don’t talk to the police, I don’t help them, I want nothing to do with them because I fear for my safety when I’m around them. If I saw one getting his ass kicked, the thought of helping him wouldn’t cross my mind because he would do the same thing to me if he knew he would get away with it.

    • (thinks this over and purses his lips. Slowly nods…)
      Okay. Suit yourself. I for one will not resolve to deny a human in need of my potentially lifesaving assistance simply because they are wearing a badge, wearing fatigues, have dark skin, voted differently than I did, etc.
      But you do you.
      🤠

      • I don’t know BL, if I see a ‘Ready for Hillary’ bumper sticker on their Prius I’m probably going to break out the popcorn and watch them get their ass kicked. Everyone else I jump in and help though.

        • Im an Islamophobic asshole, I admit it, so Im banning myself from posting.

          Ill be seeking treatment from professionals and I encourage the rest of you bigotted parochial ignoramuses on this sick and ridiculous site to do likewise

      • I’m with B on this. Badge, no badge. Gang, no gang. I’m highly unlikely to stand by and let someone get beaten to death (what a fucked up way to die btw).

        Really, in all likelihood if I was forced to shoot someone so long as I could determine that they were no longer a threat to myself or others I’d probably render them aid until EMS arrived or the person expired, whichever happened first.

        I’m just not one of those “I wish a motherfucker would” types and having actually had people die in my arms (complete with a wife screaming at me to save the guy in one instance, that was fun) and having returned the corpse of another human being to their family (drowning) I’m unlikely to sit back and watch someone die unless they really, really, really have it coming. Terrorists and mass shooters can eat a bag of dicks and die slowly. Others, including run of the mill criminals, may get some mercy from me (but hopefully not from the judge!) so long as there are not innocent bystanders/victims in line first.

    • Cops are people too. Most are good generally speaking, but all we hear about is the bad news. I’ve had many an interaction over the years. Generally speaking, if you treat them with respect, they will return the favor. If you act like a jerk, well, they are very capable of making like suck for you.

      99.9% of my experience is in Texas mind you. Where cops generally walk softly and carry a big whoopin stick and practice often with it. They still say sir and mam. I might feel differently if I lived in one of those states where gun rights go to die…

      I’d be interested in hearing from of the more traveled people of the gun. Are cops worse in some places than others? Why?

    • Chris, do you ever have trouble lifting that incredibly broad brush of yours while attempting to paint an entire profession with it?

      Big city police departments tend to have corruption problems. It generally comes down to leadership, and we all know what sort of “leaders” get elected in big cities. But out here in flyover country, we generally respect the police and sheriffs until they, individually, prove unworthy of it.

    • You are finding all member of the set of law enforcement officers guilty of the sins of any members of that set.

      What if you held all members of the set of humanity guilty of the sins of any members of that set? That would include yourself, any random 4-year-old, every 84-year-old black woman, every victim as well. “They — we — all had/have it coming.”

      Consider how silly that would be and see if you can’t restrict your condemnation.

    • GOOD, next time you are in this situation try getting help from your local dealer or better yet call ObamASS.

  6. I’d like to think that I’d do exactly what Derek Meyer did. Although, in all honesty, I probably would have waited a few just more seconds before I did it.

  7. By pulling up and pulling out his gun, he probably saved someone’s life. Not sure who, but one of those guys was likely going to end up dead.

    • Hannibal is exactly right. In a few more seconds the cops gun WAS going to become part of the situation. And more than likely the first person to get control of it would have been the only survivor of the fight.

  9. Good on the civilian for stopping the assault, but … the original stop? Anyone down-and-out enough to be picking through a Tabitha’s Way donation bin is probably exactly the sort of person Tabitha’s Way is supposed to be helping and a cop hassling him is really punching down.

    But, to be fair, Anderson sounds like he’s a repeat low-to-mid-grade troublemaker. Probably low IQ, poor impulse control, with mental problems. He was arrested back in Sept. and again in Nov. for “lewdness,” “burglary of a vehicle” and “possession or use of a control” [sic].

    https://www.policearrests.com/arrests/paul_douglas_anderson_id_43631105.html
    https://www.policearrests.com/arrests/paul_douglas_anderson_id_44122282.html

    I’d bet his record goes back a lot farther than that.

    He’s probably the sort of guy who would have been institutionalized for his own safety and the safety of others 50-60 years ago. What are you going to do with people like this? Institutionalize them early and be accused of unjustly incarcerating people (a very valid concern) or keep dinging them on minor crimes, putting them in and out of jail, until eventually they seriously hurt someone?

  10. Good story and possibly a better outcome than what would have happened if the perp was allowed to beat on the leo longer. Most cops I’ve encountered in Utah have been pretty cool with me carrying. I generally show my permit asap with my dl to show them I’m one of the good guys and so far they have been pretty cool about the upfront honesty.

    • Your one of the good guys!!! Cops are shit and your the kind that would suck their dicks if they gave you a order.

  11. Never happened…I mean it’s obvious that this guy doesn’t do 3 hours of crossfit a day, so how in the world was he able to successfully use his firearm in defense of anyone?

    Uh…yeah, that was sarcasm for those of you who haven’t had that morning coffee yet.

  12. Thanks for posting this. I’m making a list of civilians who help or save a policeman with their carry weapon. It’s for my college research paper.

  13. I would for sure be more inclined to render aid here in a state like Texas (with the notable exceptions of Austin, San Antonio, or Houston). In Commiefornia or anywhere in New England, forget it. I would likely be the only one getting killed in that situation.

    • I hope Becker wins a huuuuge lawsuit against the moron cops of Independence, KS. I just wish the check would come out of the paycheck of the stupid cop who shot him.

      it’s as if the dispatchers don’t pay any attention to the info the 911 callers provide / or the cops don’t pay any attention to the dispatcher, or some cops are just looking for a reason to shoot.

  15. would a cop pull over and stop another cop beating me? would he hold the violent cop at gunpoint and threaten to shoot him if he didn’t stop punching me in the face?

    There was an article a while back about a bunch of people who pushed a beached great white back into the ocean. I laughed because if the situation was reversed, the shark would not push a drowning person back onto land.

    Sadly, I can’t tell a good cop from a bad cop. maybe good cops can’t either, because there doesn’t seem to be any effort to weed them out.

    You’re on your own, copper. odds are you are just as violent and abusive as the guy beating on you, or you’ve looked the other way when one of your own has done it to a citizen.
    Never invite the man into your life.

    • I think you go too far. maybe you live in an area infested with bad cops.

      but I do agree with you about the great white shark.

  16. It’s a good story that deserves to be told.

    but why are cops getting their asses kicked so often these days? too many donuts and not enough time on the mat?

  17. Wow!!! I can’t believe the hatred spewed out by these people. Ok, you hate cops but remember
    that when you are in trouble,; who do you call? I’m sure it ain’t ghostbusters. You guys are what is wrong with this polarized, entitled, disrespectful and rude time that we are leaving in. Just imagine if you were the guy getting pummeled you would have like someone to step in and help from getting killed.

  18. when you are in trouble,; who do you call?

    My dog. My family. My friends.

    After the last couple experiences, I’ve pretty much resolved to never call a cop again.

  19. “Cpl. Waters cautioned people like Meyer to be careful, however, because in high-stress situations, officers are wary of anyone nearby with a weapon.”

    ….says no one with half a brain!!!!!!! Most civilians have more gun training than the average police officer!!!!!….Good Gawd have mercy on us all!!!!

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