INDIANAPOLIS -- An officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department showed off the "passion" police have for serving the community Thursday night, with just a can of gas and a few dollars.
Jason Mitchell, a patrol officer for the IMPD's North District, had just started his shift when he came upon a man who needed help.
The man, known as Mr. Presner, had run out of gas in his car. He was stuck on the side of the road near the Fashion Mall on Indy's north side.
Mitchell used a spare gas can to put a few gallons in his tank, then gave him some money for food.
Presner, an army veteran, told Mitchell he suffers from PTSD.
"He paved the way for us and he paid it forward for us by serving his country," Mitchell said. "So it was my turn to pave the way and to pay it forward for him by putting gas in his car."
He got very excited when he saw Mitchell and the other police cars.
"He was ... there's no words. He even asked to hug me at one point," Mitchell said. "He was grateful for it."
Mitchell's actions earned him a shoutout by IMPD's twitter account.
Despite the attention, Mitchell said he didn't do anything other officers wouldn't have done.
"What I did today is no different than what the other hundreds of other IMPD officers out here do every day around the clock, 24 hours a day," Mitchell said. "It's not just a job for us, it's passion."
