‘Human Arrow’ Aides Cops: Kids Creatively Point Police Chopper To Fleeing Burglary Suspects
During the Easter holidays, most children look forward to finding any signs of Peter Rabbit and hunting for, well, eggs. The last thing a group of children near London thought was they’d be helping cops hunt for crooks. And thanks to the group’s split-second thinking, they formed a “human arrow” to help catch burglary suspects on the lam.
According to a United Press International report (or UPI), a group of children with their families got together in a Capel village in Surrey on Good Friday. Everyone was gathered for the annual Easter egg hunt when something got their attention. Just a short distance away, a police chopper buzzed overhead.
Unbeknownst to anyone on the ground, law enforcement was on the heels of two burglary suspects who allegedly entered a nearby building without authorization. Officers chased the suspects who eventually crossed an open field. It soon became clear why the helicopter was buzzing above.
The next thing that took place surprised police officers: a human arrow was formed. Footage of the pursuit shows kids lying face-down in the field with their bodies arranged in the shape of an arrow.
Kids form human arrow to help police helicopter catch suspects in Surrey, UK pic.twitter.com/l9cuxJDUxS
— CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) April 3, 2016
Two men were running in the open field, but they soon split up. The pilot was only able to pursue one suspect and soon directed officers to that subject. He then turned his attention to a shape of an arrow made of egg hunters. Next, he panned the camera several hundred yards to the left where the arrow pointed.
The second of two men fled into the thicket, but he was soon picked up with night vision photography. It’s clever how the idea to help apprehend the criminals was hatched. Cops credited their ingenuity, according to a statement after the incident ended.
“The children quickly formed an arrow on the ground in the middle of a plowed field to guide the helicopter in the direction of the fleeing pair. The helicopter crew relayed this information to officers on the ground and a short time later two men were arrested.”
National Police Air Service Sergent Paul Sochon weighed in on the heroics from the children that helped capture the fleeing crooks. He compared their human-made arrow idea to the novel, “Secret Seven.” Enid Blyton is the author of the widely-read detective series.
“I’m sure the last thing the group of daring Capel residents expected when they set out on Friday afternoon was to abandon their Easter egg hunt to assist us in a police search but the initiative they demonstrated proved to be invaluable.”
Thankfully, no one was injured in the chase. Police say two male suspects, 28 and 27-years-old were jailed over the incident. They face charges for supposedly burglarizing a dwelling. Both men arranged bail and are free until their court dates. However, the investigation continues locally.
Our awesome adventure, by the kids who formed a ‘human arrow’ to lead cops to robbers https://t.co/3FntxCMhlR pic.twitter.com/BGogOCzNCY
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) April 3, 2016
Meanwhile, social media has lost its mind over the Easter egg hunters aka human arrows who help catch the bad guys. The Daily Mail says the heroes, dubbed the “Tremendous Twelve,” are as young as six and as old as 12. After the ordeal, the pilots of the helicopter landed and met the brave dozen. One of them, a 9-year-old girl explained how the human arrow thing evolved.
“It was really noisy and we could see it said ‘police’ on the bottom. Then we saw a man running along the side of the field. We could see him but the helicopter couldn’t because it was hovering over the woods.
“We saw the man take his jumper off and put it around his head. Then he dropped it and ran off into the woods and we pointed and shouted at the helicopter, ‘He’s gone that way!’
“But the helicopter looked like it was pointing in the opposite direction. Then two of my friends said, ‘Let’s get into an arrow’ and we got into position on the ground.”
The rest was magic, just like in the storybooks.
[Photo courtesy Surrey Police via Twitter ]
