An off-duty California police officer is being hailed as a hero after he foiled the plans of an armed individual who walked into a restaurant on Valentine’s Day and allegedly threatened to kill everyone inside.

“I thought we were all gonna get shot — the guy saying, ‘I’m gonna kill everybody!’” Matt Brown, who was at Stockton’s Arroyo’s Cafe Friday evening, told KOVR-TV.

According to Brown’s girlfriend, Virginia Hill, the man’s actions followed an argument at the bar, which ultimately escalated and resulted in the suspect pointing a loaded firearm at patrons.

“‘He’s got a gun! He has a gun!’” she said.

“Next thing you know about 100 people just come storming out the door,” Brown recalled to KOVR-TV.

Hill says she tried to tackle the man, but that’s also when off-duty officer Joe Silva moved into action.

“He says ‘Stockton P.D., you’re under arrest!’” she said.

Silva, armed with his own weapon, managed to disarm the man and held him at gunpoint outside until backup arrived to formally place the suspect under arrest. […]

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“Had Joe not been there and done the actions that he did, we probably would have had a shooting and possibly even a homicide at the restaurant,” Jones added.

Source: Oliver Darcy, theblaze.com/stories/2014/02/16/armed-man-allegedly-threatened-to-kill-everybody-inside-restaurant-he-likely-didnt-know-an-off-duty-officer-was-right-there/