“NO OSCAR FOR THIS ACTOR”

Sergeant Zac McCullough, No. 835

Chattanooga, TN, Police Department

If you've ever doubted the Bible when it says we learn from adversity, don’t! (See Romans 5:3.) My experience is living proof that “pain equals gain”! As a longtime Christian and student of the Bible, I’ve always tried to follow “The Golden Rule,” but sometimes it’s difficult when you’re dealing with “bad guys” or “good actors.”

On a November day, I caught up with a thief who’d just stolen jewelry from a store and tried to duck into the ER of a local hospital to escape being caught. No such luck for him. After a brief chase, I corralled him, slung him to the ground, cuffed him, and put him into the back of the patrol car. When the suspect told me his shoulder was hurting, I believed it was from the large scar he had from a previous surgery and because of his rough capture. In my “compassionate mode,” I took him to the hospital for X-rays, where the cuffs had to come off. This was a big mistake—criminals never should be trusted!

After the x-rays, the perpetrator complained of pain and nausea and asked to go to the bathroom to vomit. Coming out of the bathroom, he said he was about to pass out. In my naivety, I offered to get him a wheelchair. While he was “bent over in pain” I discovered he not only was a thief but a very good actor; with his swift upward kick to my groin, the fight was on! This ex-Marine did his best to kill me, but my adrenaline took over. Finally, with the aid of a couple of other officers and hospital personnel, he was subdued and on his way to jail. I was treated at the hospital for a broken nose and fractured cheekbone, receiving thirty staples and thirty stitches in my head to close the wounds. For his efforts, the “bad actor” was sentenced to seven years in prison.

This was the first time anyone had actually tried to kill me, and it was the “wake-up call” I needed. The experience taught me not to substitute compassion for street smarts. Since then, I’ve bulked up, improved my tactical skills, and become a member of the SWAT team. Of the many lessons I learned that day the most valuable is this: God was and is with me, but He expects me to do my part!