WORCESTER — Several thoughts raced through police Officer Justin Bennes' mind as he struggled with an allegedly armed 18-year-old Tuesday afternoon: He didn't want the teen to gain control of the gun. He knew schoolchildren were nearby and being let out soon. He wanted to use his radio to get help on the way. He didn't want to have to use his own gun.

"I didn't want to have to shoot this kid," said Officer Bennes, 31. "I was screaming in the street, 'He has a gun.' There were people in the streets taping me on their phones or stopping in the streets watching the whole thing unfold."

The incident unfurled around 2 p.m. Tuesday when Officer Bennes was working a patrol to enforce the laws against aggressive driving. Although traffic stops may seem innocuous to a lay person, police know they can be dangerous. They don't know who is behind the wheel or in the car. They don't know what might be in the car.

Officer Bennes, who was in uniform, pulled over a white Mitsubishi that was being driven erratically on Windsor Street, and had a registration plate that came back to a red Ford Focus. The registration had been revoked.

While waiting for the car to be towed, the driver, who was identified as Audra Blais, 41, of 47 Orne St., and the passenger, identified as Jonathan Beeman, 18, of 99 Green Hill Parkway, were allowed to retrieve items from the vehicle.

Officer Bennes saw a bottle of medication with Mr. Beeman's name on it. He tossed it to Mr. Beeman, but as the teen's shirt lifted up, the officer noticed what appeared to be the handle of a gun, the officer said.

"Immediately it's an 'oh no' moment," Officer Bennes said.

The six-year member of the Police Department, who joined the gang unit a year ago, approached Mr. Beeman to pat-frisk him. The officer felt the gun. He knew it was real.

"I saw the gun, but I knew he was 18 so it was pretty reasonable to assume he was not able to carry this gun," Officer Bennes said. "I went up to pat-frisk him to see if he had an actual gun on him. I touched the gun. It was heavy. You could tell it was a real gun."

The struggle for the gun, on the streets near Belmont Street and Oak Avenue, began.

Authorities allege Mr. Beeman struck the officer. He was arraigned Wednesday in Central Distric t Court on 13 charges, many of them involving assault and firearm possession. Mr. Beeman was held without bail until a dangerousness hearing Tuesday.

Mr. Beeman allegedly tried to run toward Belmont Street. Officer Bennes said he grasped the gun, which was tucked in the waistband of Mr. Beeman's sweatpants near his hip, and refused to let go.

"I started getting kicked and scraped up the shins," Officer Bennes said. "I couldn't fight back because I wanted to hold onto the gun and he was trying to get at it. I would rather hang onto the gun and take hits than have him gain control of the gun."

In his statement of facts filed in court, Officer Bennes said he felt Mr. Beeman would shoot him if he gained control of the gun.

The use-of-force model that police are trained to use would have allowed the officer to use his weapon, the officer believes. He didn't, however, and kept his restraint.

"My line in the sand, I wasn't there yet," Officer Bennes said.

But the officer still couldn't get to his radio to call for help. He used a nearby railing to pin Mr. Beeman so he could still keep control of the gun and also free up a hand to use the radio. Officer Bennes radioed for help. He wasn't sure his transmission got through.

Mr. Beeman allegedly had bitten him, and Officer Bennes began calling for people to help him. While some people only watched, a man dressed in military-style clothing got out of his car. The man asked what he could do.

"I said, 'Just hold onto his arms,' " Officer Bennes said.

The man's help allowed the officer to grab his taser and "drive stun" Mr. Beeman. Once that happened, Mr. Beeman was brought to the ground and finally complied, the officer said.

"He told me, 'The gun is in my ankle,' " Officer Bennes said. The officer was able to take possession of the weapon. Mr. Beeman was then handcuffed.

Among the thoughts in Officer Bennes' head were images of his family. They were in his mind the whole time. When his shift was over and he could decompress, those were the people he went to see.

Ms. Blais was arrested after police said they determined she was driving on a suspended license. She was additionally charged with driving an unregistered motor vehicle and illegally attaching registration plates. She was arraigned Wednesday in Central District Court. She was released and is to return to court in December.

Officer Bennes doesn't think twice about his chosen profession after what occurred. He has recovered weapons from motor vehicles during his career. He is part of the SWAT team and he been involved in struggles in the past.

"We're portrayed as something so much more militaristic than we are," he said. "We are family men, brothers, sisters, husbands and wives. We are good folks out trying to do the right thing."

Contact Scott J. Croteau at scott.croteau@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottCroteauTG