‘I did explain to the gentleman that he was damn lucky that he wasn’t down on the slab at the morgue.’ : Joseph Dean : Arresting Officer : Fate Rides In to Stay Policeman’s Trigger

A young man pointed a fake pistol at a Burbank policeman and escaped being shot only because a child on a bicycle pedaled into the line of fire, the policeman said Thursday.

After arresting the man, Officer Joseph Dean said, “I did explain to the gentleman that he was damn lucky that he wasn’t down on the slab at the morgue. . . . The kid saved the guy’s life.”

Dean said he was preparing to stop a motorist for speeding Wednesday afternoon when a passenger pointed a realistic-looking replica of a semiautomatic pistol at him. Dean, who was alone, said he pulled over and ducked behind the open door of his patrol car, pistol drawn, as the other car stopped in front of him.

As the passenger pointed the supposed gun in his direction, Dean said, “I aimed down, and I was ready to shoot, and in that fraction of a second I saw that kid,” he said.

The boy, “maybe 9 years old,” had stopped his bicycle about six feet beyond the suspects’ car to watch the excitement, Dean said. The child’s presence was “the only reason I didn’t shoot,” the officer said.

2 Freed on Bail

The passenger, identified as Michael Joseph Mansu, 21, of Burbank, and the driver, identified as Alexander Mitchelson, 18, of Sun Valley, were arrested on suspicion of threatening a police officer, Detective Frank Turner said. Mitchelson also was cited for speeding, and the two were released on $5,000 bail each.

They could not be reached for comment.

Officers found two replica handguns, three dummy hand grenades, a BB rifle, a bulletproof vest and a police belt with handcuffs in the car, Turner said.

The incident began about 6 p.m. as Dean turned on his overhead lights to stop a car on Verdugo Avenue at 6th Street. “That’s when the guy turned around and pointed the gun at me,” Dean said. “I leaned over and pulled my gun out and was watching them from behind the dashboard.”

The car stopped but the passenger stuck the weapon out of the window, Dean said. “I bailed out of the car behind the driver’s door. I had my gun in one hand and my microphone in the other hand, calling for backup. It all happened within a matter of seconds.”

After seeing the boy, Dean ordered the passenger to drop his gun. The passenger placed it on the roof of the car, said Dean, who continued holding his own gun on the pair until other officers arrived. Dean did not realize that the pistol was only a replica until he picked it up.

“Two hours after I finished my investigation, I kept seeing that little kid sitting there, and I kept thinking, ‘What if that guy had a real gun and I did have to start shooting at him?’ ” said Dean, who has been a police officer five years. “It definitely makes you think, because I have a 9-year-old boy.

“Afterward you have a lump in your throat, and you sit back and say, ‘Thank God.’ ”

The boy rode away, unidentified and unharmed.