On Thursday, July 2, John Burrows intervened when he saw a man stab an officer right in front of him.
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Burrows punched the suspect and helped the officer get him under control.
"I didn't care who it was, you're not just going to stab him in front of me -- I'm not going to let you," Burrows said.
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D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham personally came to a hotel to say thank you to Burrows.
"What you did for our officer, seriously God bless you for that," Newsham said. "We really appreciate that, you really saved his life and that means a lot to us."
The Human Services Department in D.C. has put Burrows up in a hotel and started an online fundraiser for the man.
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That fundraiser has already collected thousands of dollars.
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Publicity of the incident also caught the attention of Burrows' family, who say they hadn't seen him in years.
Burrows has since been reunited with a niece and is set to visit his mother and brother now.
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