NORTHFIELD, Ohio (WJW) — Dramatic video released by an Ohio police department shows how Northfield Police officers were able to arrest two bank robbery suspects last Friday.
After hearing a bulletin about a bank holdup in neighboring Macedonia, a Northfield patrolman tried to pull over a pickup truck that matched the suspects’ getaway vehicle description.
The driver and passenger eventually bailed out of the truck in the parking lot of MGM Northfield Park and made a run for it.
Officer Mike Bonfield chased after the passenger, who lost his grip on a cash pile taken during the bank robbery.
When Bonfield caught up with the suspect, they engaged in a life-or-death struggle as the man tried to grab the officer’s gun.
During the fight, Officer Bonfield is heard on his body cam video telling the suspect, “stop it, please stop, please stop, sir.”
The suspect eventually broke free and then grabbed as a hostage a woman getting out of her car.
“I think my heart sunk a little bit. I was more scared for her and that he got the opportunity to get his hands on her,” Bonfield said.
Fortunately, with the help of a courageous good Samaritan, Bonfield was able to overpower the man and wrestle him to the ground without harming the hostage.
Brian Spenny, 60, of Massillon, was arrested on charges that include robbery, kidnapping, and assault on a police officer.
It turns out that Spenny has a history of robbing banks in New York State.
“I think all the details go out the window, as far as what crime took place, and it becomes kind of a fight for your life, and you do what you’ve got to do, and hopefully it comes to a resolution,” said Bonfield.
While Bonfield was fighting with the suspect, the getaway driver slipped away, and that’s when officers from Northfield and surrounding communities began a dragnet through a nearby neighborhood.
After receiving helpful information from residents, Northfield Patrolman Tony Pistone found the man hiding under a deck.
John Charles Dampman, 46, of Massillon, was arrested for his role in the bank robbery.
“No one got hurt, no bystanders, no one. It’s just a good way to end it,” said Pistone.
But the outcome could have been much different if Bonfield and the other officers had not maintained their composure.
“If people get to go home safe, that’s the only ‘at a boy’ that I need. I don’t need thanks,” said Bonfield.
Spenny and Dampman are being held in the Summit County Jail on a bond of $500,000 each.
