When a masked man with a handgun walked right into a restaurant intent on committing a theft, he made a giant mistake. On that night, a newly married couple occurred to be there on date night time, and this husband and spouse crew had been additionally armed cops. They sprung into motion, and it was all caught on video.
Detective Chase McKeown determined to take his spouse Nicole out to eat at one in all their favourite locations on a Saturday night time. The off-duty Elizabethtown Police Division officers, who had solely been married for six months, believed that having a weekly “date night time” was one of many keys to a powerful marriage, so that they headed out to Elevating Cane’s Hen Fingers restaurant.
“At our church, we’ve been specializing in marriage,” mentioned Chase, including that his church emphasizes having a “date night time” as soon as every week. Nicole mentioned the choice to eat at Elevating Cane’s was a no brainer, because it was the primary place they ate after their marriage ceremony, WDRB Information reported. Nevertheless, each officers say they didn’t anticipate what occurred subsequent.
In keeping with an arrest report, 30-year-old Justin Carter walked into the restaurant carrying a masks simply after 10 pm. Police say he pointed a gun on the cashier and demanded money. Fortunately, Chase and Nicole McKeown had been there, having fun with their meal. “I feel we sort of each noticed him on the similar time,” Nicole mentioned.
Nevertheless, the newly-wed bride claims initially she thought Carter may be sick, however as she continued to look at, she realized there was one thing extra sinister occurring. That’s when she turned to her husband. “I checked out him and mentioned, ‘Is he doing what I feel he’s doing? That’s sort of odd,’” she recalled. That’s when the cop couple realized the restaurant was being robbed.
At that time, Nicole mentioned her husband was going to take Carter on by himself, so he handed her his cellphone and advised her to name 911 – however she wasn’t about to take a seat on the sidelines. “No — I’m gonna assist my husband!” she mentioned. From there, the cop couple reacted shortly, drawing their weapons and circling the middle tables to converge on the would-be robber.
“There was actually no query. We simply checked out one another: ‘Is that this what’s occurring? Let’s go,’” mentioned Detective McKeown. He mentioned their police instincts took over, including, “We simply did what we felt like we needed to do.” In keeping with CBS Information, the surveillance video reveals Detective Chase McKeown and Officer Nicole McKeown springing into motion, whipping out their weapons and approaching the suspect earlier than he fled the scene.
The McKeowns had been off responsibility on the time, however the couple helped close by Louisville cops catch the suspect, in accordance with Louisville police. It was additionally reported that Carter has since pleaded not responsible to theft, receipt of stolen property, and being a felon in possession of a gun.
Det. Dan Mason of the Louisville Metro Police Division’s Theft Unit applauded each officers for his or her bravery, saying they acted “honorably and heroically,” whereas including “we’re cops 24 hours a day, seven days every week, on or off responsibility.” A consultant of Elevating Cane’s was additionally readily available to thank the officers. “We’re extraordinarily blessed that they selected to dine with us,” the worker mentioned, including, “It’s due to good folks like Chase and Nicole who give us good hope for tomorrow…we’ll by no means be capable to thank them sufficient.”
In keeping with CBS Information, the police division shared the surveillance video and praised the McKeowns on Fb. Their story went viral with the hashtag “#DateNightGoals.” For his half, Chase McKeown mentioned the eye was just a little overwhelming. “Perhaps it’s the time period ‘hero,’” he mentioned. “We don’t really feel that means. We simply really feel like our coaching kicked in.” Nicole mentioned there’s a reasonably good probability they’ll be having fun with Elevating Cane’s once more. “Oh completely,” she laughed. “I really like Elevating Cane’s.”
In keeping with NPR, Detective McKeown advised journalists on the Elizabethtown Police Division that that they had gone out on Saturday, partially, as a result of their church strongly recommends that married {couples} have a date night time each week. “It’s been an thrilling six months,” he declared. In a press release, the police division mentioned it “couldn’t be extra proud” of the 2 officers, praising the “brave and selfless actions they took to intervene.”