Li Xiang lost count of how many times he hit until the criminal was beaten to the ground and couldn't get up.
He looked up at the crowd, who collectively took a step back in fear.
"Don't misunderstand, this is the murderer. Can someone please call the police for me?"
"Don't move, we've already called the police, you're not allowed to leave."
Li Xiang's words had no credibility; people were more inclined to believe what they saw with their own eyes. If someone were to say who the murderer was, Li Xiang seemed more like one.
Seeing this, he didn't bother to explain and simply stood there watching the criminal, waiting for the police to arrive.
Woo~ Woo~
In less than five minutes, Li Xiang heard the sound of sirens.
Wang Li, a patrol officer from Hongqiao Police Station, turned on the sirens immediately after receiving the report, and headed to the scene. As he got out of the car, his right hand instinctively rested on his holster.
But upon seeing the scene, he was surprised, "Li Xiang? Why is it you? What's going on?"
At the scene, Li Xiang looked ferocious, covered in blood spatter on his upper body and face. Was this the same honest and diligent auxiliary police officer he remembered?
"Brother Wang, arrest this person, and we'll talk back at the station."
Li Xiang dropped the broom handle, stepped forward to approach Wang Li, but unintentionally scared Wang Li into taking half a step back, his right hand even undoing the gun's safety catch, showing a face that said don't move.
"Uh, then cuff me too."
Seeing Wang Li's reaction, Li Xiang felt a bit awkward and proactively raised his hands, allowing them to cuff him as well.
Wang Li handcuffed Li Xiang along with the criminal, then relaxed, "Li Xiang, what happened?"
"Ah, Brother Wang, I made a mistake."
Wang Li was shocked upon hearing this, seeing Li Xiang covered in blood, asked incredulously, "You didn't actually kill someone, did you?"
"It's not that serious, but close enough..."
Li Xiang explained to Wang Li in detail about the situation on the bus, especially about the little boy whose neck was slashed and was in critical condition, rushed to the hospital, "If I hadn't been so eager to catch the thief for glory, the kid wouldn't have been hurt."
Wang Li didn't know this additional reason. After listening, he patted Li Xiang on the shoulder, "Indeed, you acted impulsively. In the future, in such situations, you must call for backup immediately. Your approach today was hasty."
-----------------
Hongqiao Police Station.
The dispatch room was busy; ten minutes ago, the station had received multiple reports in quick succession.
A murder case, a major crime.
The station was tense; just yesterday, a celebrity died in a hotel, and that case wasn't solved yet. Now, another murder case occurred, in public no less, with many eyewitnesses, making the case particularly grave.
Station Chief Zhao Jianguo took immediate command, dispatched two patrol units, one to Renmin Hospital, and another to Liuhe Bridge, and simultaneously reported the situation to the city bureau.
Soon, reports came back from both teams. The little boy was currently undergoing emergency surgery at Renmin Hospital, in very critical condition, and had not yet escaped life-threatening danger.
After questioning the eyewitnesses at the scene, it was determined that the incident began with a pickpocketing case on a bus. One thief was already tied up by concerned citizens. To escape, the other thief slashed the boy's neck with a knife, then fled during the commotion.
Meanwhile, the second patrol unit arrived on the scene and discovered that the so-called murder incident was actually a follow-up to the bus pickpocketing case, and involved none other than the station's auxiliary policeman Li Xiang, who successfully apprehended the offender.
"Caught him? That's great!"
This was the best news Zhao Jianguo had heard so far.
An adverse public event like this, if the perpetrator escaped after committing the crime, would place the police in a very passive position.
It was fortunate that Li Xiang was on the bus at the time.
"Li Xiang, didn't he catch a thief yesterday too?"
As his excitement subsided, Zhao Jianguo suddenly recalled that Li Xiang seemed to have performed a meritorious act yesterday, and asked the instructor Li Wei.
"That's right, Li Xiang has been doing remarkably well this month, assigned to duty at Times Square, volunteering to go despite the cold when others were reluctant. His work attitude is very commendable."
The instructor took this opportunity to praise him, as Li Xiang's performance this month was indeed outstanding.
"Good sir, it seems we have some excellent staff among our grassroots auxiliary police. We should focus on promoting exemplars and setting benchmarks, giving them more opportunities."
With the perpetrator caught, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing that Li Xiang and the others were arriving soon, a group went to the gate to wait for them.
Before long, a police car drove into the courtyard and stopped steadily in front of everyone.
Li Xiang got out, his face covered in blood, wearing a pair of handcuffs, startling everyone who came to greet him.
"Li Xiang, where are you hurt? Why are you handcuffed? Wang Li, how could you do this? Take them off him at once."
Zhao Jianguo asked anxiously, knowing the criminal was particularly vicious. Even official police officers might hesitate to confront such a fanatic alone, let alone an auxiliary police officer.
Against such ruthless criminals, even if you fight to the death, you might still struggle against these desperate thugs.
"Yes..."
Wang Li wanted to explain the situation at the time, but seeing Zhao Jianguo so protective of Li Xiang, he swallowed his words and took out the key to unlock the handcuffs.
"Chief Zhao, I'm fine, it's not Brother Wang's fault; I requested to wear these."
Li Xiang explained, making Wang Li feel a bit better, and the unlocking action was much more swift.
"What exactly happened this morning? The captain of the municipal bureau's criminal investigation team will be here soon to understand the situation. You should first tell us what happened."
The municipal bureau personnel would arrive soon, and Zhao Jianguo wanted to understand the specifics before that to avoid being caught off guard later.
"At 7:20 this morning, I was on the line 22 bus on my way to work, and on the bus, I noticed a pickpocket... I caught him, but couldn't find the stolen wallet... I suspected he had accomplices, but didn't expect the criminal to be so ruthless, actually taking a child hostage..."
Li Xiang recounted in detail everything from going to work this morning to Wang Li responding to the scene at Liuhe Bridge, even more comprehensively than what he told Wang Li in the police car.
"If I hadn't tried to catch this thief, the kid wouldn't have been hurt."
This matter weighed heavily on Li Xiang, feeling extremely guilty. The image of the little boy being slashed in the throat right in front of him, blood splattering on his face, was a gory scene that would disturb anyone.
"You did nothing wrong, nor could you have predicted what might happen. If we, as law enforcement personnel, choose to hesitate when witnessing crime, how can we crack down on crime? You've done well, but next time in such situations, report it to the station in advance and seek support."