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Man claiming to be terrorist stunned with Taser by Arlington police

When local shop owner saw an Arlington cop face-to-face with a dangerous aggravated assault suspect on Tuesday afternoon, he knew there was little time to waste.

ARLINGTON -- Rush hours on Green Oaks Boulevard are busy.

Kids are on their way home from school, parents on their way home from work, and folks like Mohammad Omar Ileiwat are occasionally doing errands.

When local shop owner saw an Arlington cop face-to-face with a dangerous aggravated assault suspect on Tuesday afternoon, he knew there was little time to waste.

"I got out of the car, and he was on the ground, and a couple of other guys got out," Ileiwat said. "We just felt like we needed to help the officer."

The school resource officer was flagged down Tuesday afternoon by some bystanders. They reported a suspect had threatened a woman with a knife.

After the officer finally caught up with the man at a traffic light, the situation grew hostile, and Ileiwat started recording.

"The suspect got out, turned away, and the officer tased him," he said. "But I only started recording when he got up and started moving toward him really aggressively."

The officer deployed his Taser another time, and finally got the man on the ground as strangers rushed to help him handcuff the suspect.

"Everyone helped out," Ileiwat said. "It was pretty crazy."

Arlington police released dash cam footage on Wednesday which showed a different perspective.

On it, one can see the officer - at first - brandishing a firearm, but then holstering it and opting for a Taser device instead.

Arlington police say the suspect, 22-year-old Wahib Sadek Hamed, had an AK-47, a shotgun, and a handgun along with 200 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle.

"We know he made some strange remarks about having ties to some type of terrorist group," Lt. Chris Cook said.

That information was conveyed to the FBI, but Cook said there was nothing initially found to substantiate the claim.

Hamed remains in custody at the Arlington jail late Wednesday.

Ileiwat says the Arlington officer deserves a lot of credit for not escalating what was already a tense situation.

"He could've shot, but he was giving him the benefit of the doubt -- backing up," he said.

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