Officers Pull Over 79-Year-Old Man For Speeding But The Moment They See Him Crying, They Offer Help Instead.

It was a regular day for Officer Kevin Coates of the Sterling Heights Police Department in Michigan. He was on duty on September 30th when he noticed an overspeeding car. He pulled a man over but he had no idea that he’d end up at the man’s house an hour later. It was surely an unexpected meeting.

It was around 7:30 in the evening when Officer Coates has had a routine traffic stop with an overspeeding car. But when he approached the driver, he could tell that the 79-year-old man only as David, was in distress.

According to the police reports, David was “visibly upset and crying” as he started to tell Coates his situation. A video of the interaction was shared online and it quickly went viral for all the right reasons.

In the dashcam video, the officer can be heard asking David:

“What’s going on tonight?”

In a cracking voice, David answered:

“Everything’s going wrong. My wife’s real sick, and my son’s mentally ill. I really try to drive right.” He added, “I bought a television today because I wanted to make my wife happy, you know, and I can’t get it hooked up.”

As it turned out, the man could not figure out how to install the television and get it running for his wife. And he has been going around town trying to find help to no avail.

In their post on social media, the police department shared: “David was running around to different stores trying to get help but was unable to. He was clearly frustrated and needed help.”

Feeling sorry for the elderly gentleman, the officer decided to help even though he will go out of his way to do so. He did give the man a verbal warning for speeding, but he got his contact information. And within the hour, Officer Coates showed up at David’s house with two other officers to help get the television problem sorted.

The department further wrote: “Officer Coates observed a traffic violation and through his investigation, it was determined this gentleman could use a helping hand. With all the obstacles in today’s world, a little compassion and understanding go a long way. Great work officers Coates, Verougstraete & Jakushevich!”

Helping him was a decision that David deeply appreciated and of course, Police Chief Dale Dwojakowski commended. Chieve Dwojakowski said, “I’m very proud of Officer Coates, Officer Verougstraete, and new recruit Officer Jakushevich for going above and beyond to help our residents.” He added, “This is just another example of the amazing service that the Sterling Heights Police Department provides our community.”

In an interview with WDIV-TV, David shared, “They all came in. They moved my TV. They set it up and in a short time, they were gone. You know? I said, ‘Wow, what service.’ I didn’t expect this from the Sterling Heights Police Officers.”

Others would have just given the elderly man a ticket and gone had on their way. But Officer Coates didn’t want to leave the man in this state. He is already frustrated and he needed help. And the kind officer did not think twice about extending a helping hand and going out of his way to make sure that the problem is solved.