The principal at West Ferris Intermediate and Secondary School may be called a hero at the school.

This after Andy Gagne received recognition at Tuesday’s Police Services Board meeting.

In May, he helped a North Bay Police officer, Const. Richard Hampel take down a suspect on Greenwood Avenue.

He says he never thought of not getting involved to help the officer.

“At that point you’re not thinking about it. You’re seeing an officer who is doing his job. He’s totally calm and professional with this person. But he wouldn’t have any of it and he was resisting the officer and taking shots at his head,” he says.

Gagne says he got involved because it looked like it was going to go really bad and really fast and he wanted to shut it down before things got worse.

Const. Hampel says without Gagne’s help the situation could have been worse.

“At any point you’re in serious danger when you’re trying to arrest somebody. We pulled a large knife out of his boot after he was handcuffed. There’s the potential that he reaches for the knife and you’re looking at a whole different situation,” Hampel says.

He says the suspect was quite bigger than him and had substance abuse issues and mental health issues and it’s pretty hard to handcuff someone who’s bigger who doesn’t want to be handcuffedt,” he says.

The suspect was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and escape lawful custody.

Filed under: Andy Gagne, North Bay Police, Richard Hampel