Boston Police Captain: 'Magic Words' Helped Save Suicidal Veteran's Life
BOSTON (CBS) -- In 21 years on the job, MBTA bus driver Wilberto Colon experienced a first on Veterans Day. A fare threatened to take the bus and everyone on it - hostage.
"Next thing, he pulls out the weapon, he has and I was like this is serious," said Colon.
His new fare held a hatchet. Four other passengers were on board. Colon stayed calm and kept driving.
"Family issues, he lost his job. I said, 'OK you should have told me, let's talk,'" said Colon. The man was a veteran. Colon kept him talking.
WBZ-TV's Katie Brace reports
He hit the panic button, which unfortunately started beeping. The man became more stressed saying this to Colon: "Don't do anything stupid."
One of the passengers started banging on the doors. The man allowed Colon to open the doors allowing three people to jump out.
"He had the hatchet and he was trying to cut his (own) neck," said Colon.
He knew officers were working a detail by Columbia Road in Dorchester, and that's where Colon and the final passenger made their escape and ran to the police.
Captain Haseeb Hosein was working the detail and confronted the suspect.
"He has the hatchet against his neck scratching his neck with the hatchet saying, 'I know where my jugular vein is, I know how to do this,'" said Captain Hosein.
Behind the desperate act, the officer heard a desperate story.
"That no one cared, he was kicked out of a veterans' shelter and had no reason to live," Capt. Hosein said.
He sized up the situation on the bus, and was joined by fellow officer David Godin who knew the power of the right words, asking if the man was a veteran and then thanking him for his service.
It was enough for the man to relax, says Captain Hosein, and put the weapon down. They had de-escalated a difficult situation that started when the man first got on board and hovered over the driver with his weapon. The driver opened the back doors of the bus and told his passengers to bolt.
"He was very nervous when he ran off the bus and was very happy to see a police officer," said Capt. Hosein
The Captain is credited with calm and quick thinking helping a veteran on Veterans Day. But he gives the credit to his partner.
"Those were magic words, he did a great job," Captain Hosein said.
Colon said he had not driven that route in years. He said perhaps it was his day to drive that bus on Veterans Day.
WBZ-TV's Beth Germano and Katie Brace contributed to this report.
