Michael Reeves, a 32-year-old attendant at Arco gas station on Bend’s south end, had just arrived for his Sunday afternoon shift when he saw four police cars coming his way, lights flashing.

They followed a silver Dodge Journey pulling into the gas station driveway. A man hopped out of the car, Reeves said. Bend Police officers yelled at him to stop, that they’d tase him.

“Then the chase is on from there,” Reeves said Monday.

The incident began when police responded at around 2 p.m. to calls about shoplifting at the Wilco Farm Store and Shell Gas Station on Bend’s east side, said spokeswoman Sheila Miller. About $1,400 worth of items were stolen from Wilco, including boots and slippers, police said. Police have yet to determine how much was stolen from Shell.

The incident would end in the arrest of two people: Daniel Lacroix, 40, of La Pine, who faces charges of theft, escape, resisting arrest and harassment; and Cheyenne Lane, 31, his driver, arrested on suspicion of criminal conspiracy.

And Reeves found himself right in the middle of it.

By the time police arrived at the Arco station on S. Third Street around 2:30 p.m., Reeves was chatting with co-workers, busily getting drinks for the day’s shift. Then, at least nine officers blocked a car in the parking lot and a man, later identified as Lacroix, got out.

Coming from a family of first responders and veterans, Reeves had never doubted that he would get involved in a situation like this. A lifelong Bend resident with eight kids — including 1-year-old identical twin boys — Reeves loves helping people. “That’s kind of instilled in me,” he said.

Now he watched as the man ran toward him, arms outstretched.

“It was like he was pushing a cart and was trying to run it into the wall,” said Reeves.

Reeves was worried this man would get into the store, where they had customers. So, as he put it: “I didn’t think; I just did.”

Reeves reached over, grabbed the man and pushed him off-balance. The man, Reeves said, punched him in the face as they collided. A Bend Police officer ran toward them. She tackled the man and they all fell to the ground.

Then, police said, the man tried to eat a glass methamphetamine pipe and a bag filled with white powder. Authorities restrained him and took him to St. Charles Bend for treatment, where they say he later spat on a police officer and threw a colostomy bag — which holds feces — at a nurse, Miller said.

Miller said Bend Police appreciate assistance from community members but noted that officers are better trained to deal with risky situations like this.

“We would hate for a bystander to be injured and so we ask that people follow police directives if they find themselves in an incident like this,” said Miller, who added: “But in this situation, this individual certainly helped slow down the suspect.”

The incident shocked Reeves, but he feels good that he played a small role in helping his community. Police recovered the allegedly stolen items from the car and returned them to Wilco and Shell.

“I get to help people all the time with gas and stuff, but to actually get to help with something that’s a big deal is pretty cool,” Reeves said.

The only mark Reeves has is a scratch on the back of his neck. He’s not certain how that happened.

“It was definitely an interesting, eventful day, yesterday,” he said.