A wild brawl at the Alaska State Fair nearly ended in gunfire, but one quick-thinking man stepped in and wrestled a firearm away from an armed thug in front of horrified families.
Hero shuts down shooter at Alaska State Fair
Jaden Perry, 24, was helping a friend close up a booth when a fight broke out on Monday involving as many as eight people.
Without hesitation, Perry jumped into action after spotting one of the men pull a handgun.
“The first thought that went through my head is there are kids everywhere,” Perry told KTUU. “I didn’t think much during it, but afterwards I’m glad I did.”
“I would do it again every time,” he added. “Last thing anybody needs to do is bury their child, take their kid to the hospital, or even a parent — they were everywhere.”
Perry said he lunged for the gunman, keeping the barrel pointed at the ground as he fought to gain control of the weapon.
In the confusion, he wasn’t thinking about his own safety but the large number of families still navigating the fairgrounds.
Footage of the chaotic scene has gone viral, showing Perry and several fair staffers wading into the fight as rain-slick pavement made the melee even more dangerous.
In the video, a young man appears to pull out a handgun and attempt to cock it before Perry charges forward.
Witnesses can be heard yelling, “Let it go!” and “Stop fighting!” as they scrambled to separate the combatants.
At one point, Perry can be seen unloading the clip and emptying the chamber of the firearm while the suspect still had his hands on the weapon.
Despite the violence, Perry and others managed to defuse the situation before shots were fired.
Hero good Samaritan praised for stopping violence
The Alaska State Fair later praised Perry’s intervention, along with the efforts of staff who also helped contain the fight.
“The Alaska State Fair commends the civilian for his actions to assist CMS in disarming the individual. His actions were heroic,” said Melissa Keefe, the fair’s director of marketing and communications.
“In addition, the actions of several unarmed CMS staff who took action to de-escalate the physical altercations taking place simultaneously during the incident should also be commended.”
After the gunman was restrained, authorities discovered a second Glock at the scene, this one equipped with an extended magazine.
Perry said the man holding the gun claimed he intended to fire in self-defense, despite being surrounded by families at the crowded event.
“People need to be aware [that] things go wrong at any minute, no matter where you are. It’s not okay for that to happen — at all. That should not have happened in the first place, but people do need to be aware that this is the thing that happens,” Perry said.
“We’re in an age where this is common. And it saddens me, it does, no matter what kind of gun control or gun laws are put out there, this will happen.”
Perry added that while Alaska State Troopers were present at the fair, they did not intervene during the fight despite citizens running to them for help.
“They (State Troopers) said that security was handling it,” Perry explained. “Security staff aren’t prepared for something like this.”
He noted, however, that the Alaska Police Department responded within minutes after the incident.
Officers put on leave after aggression at Alaska State Fair
The frightening episode was not the only controversy at the fair. Just days earlier, three officers from the Palmer Police Department were placed on leave after a video surfaced showing them using aggressive force against a young father holding his crying toddler.
The Aug. 24 video shows 22-year-old Jeffry Cook-Reed of Wasilla holding his 20-month-old daughter as police attempt to arrest him.
Officers can be seen pulling the child away, placing Cook-Reed in a chokehold, punching him in the ribs, and shocking him with a Taser while a security guard restrained his ankles.
Authorities said they were called after receiving reports that Cook-Reed was causing a disturbance, making threats, and possibly harming the child.
Police also discovered that he had an outstanding $300 warrant for failing to appear at a court hearing.
Cook-Reed disputed the account in an interview, saying he had simply been walking out of the fair to return his daughter to her mother when relatives caused a commotion that escalated the situation.
Following public outcry, the Palmer Police Department announced an internal review.
On Tuesday, Cmdr. Luke Szipszky confirmed that three officers had been placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.
