Rather than pull his gun on the visibly distressed man, this officer talked with him to diffuse the situation.

One of the reasons the United States has an incredibly high rate of police brutality is because cops are rarely taught to de-escalate situations in their training. Perhaps if more officers reacted to terse confrontations like Officer Anirut Malee of the Huay Kwang Police Station in Bangkok, Thailand, did, individuals like Philando Castile and Sandra Bland would still be alive.

Last Saturday, Malee was at the police station when a visibly disturbed man walked in wielding a large knife. Rather than pick up his gun, Malee calmly sat down and talked to the individual. Closed-circuit camera footage shows the entire situation unfold.

Malee can be seen gesturing towards the knife. Though details of the conversation are unknown, after about twenty seconds of conversing, the assailant calms down. He hands over the knife to Malee and then, something incredible takes place… Officer Malee tosses the knife aside and then hugs the 46-year-old.

Later, the policeman explained that the stranger is a guard who had fallen on hard times. After enduring the theft of his guitar and his employer withholding his paycheck for three days, he was beyond stressed out. Fortunately, Malee reacted like a human being, rather than a robot of the state. This allowed the situation to resolve itself. Malee even offered to get lunch with the man sometime.

https://youtu.be/SdTDKRTkXuM

After the ordeal, the stressed out individual was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation. No charges were filed against him. What are your thoughts? Please comment below and share this news!

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