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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A good Samaritan was honored Tuesday night for helping save an animal control officer who was being attacked not by an animal, but by its owner.

It seemed like any other call when Kansas City Animal Control Officer Elizabeth Meyer was called to 57th and Park in May for a dog on a short chain with no food or water.

“There was no one around to speak with, so I went to remove the dog, at that point a gentleman came walking down the street and became very agitated with me,” Officer Meyer said.

Before long, Officer Meyer was in a fight for her life.

“He had pinned me up against my truck, and began to use his hands and choke me,” Officer Meyer said.

Hogan Prep Elementary School maintenance worker David Lyman was on his way to his job, when he spotted the commotion.

“I didn’t know her, but I wasn’t going to let her stand there and 20 people standing around, somebody had to step up.”

So he ran her to aid, pulling the suspect, Ricky Williams, off of her. Then police say the 45-year-old suspect pulled a tire iron from his pocket. What Lyman calls a 10-minute scuffle with the whole family then ensued.

“I finally pinned him down to the ground for the police was coming and his mother came over and started hitting me in the face and his father started hitting me with a cane.”

Williams took off in Lyman’s truck as police arrived and led officers on a low-speed chase before finally returning to his neighborhood and getting stuck in the mud.

Williams is awaiting trial and faces numerous charges in the case. Along with the chase and attacking Officer Meyer, he’s also accused of kicking and spitting on officers once he was finally captured.

Kansas City Police Chief Daryl Forte presented Lyman with a Certificate of Appreciation. Officer Meyer gave him a hug.

“I don’t know what words I would possibly say to him, so thankful that he was there and that there are people like him in the world, so grateful for him.”

Two women who helped talk a jumper off a bridge also received Certificates of Appreciation. Several officers were also honored for dedication to the job and acts of heroism.