Mystery van hero of Margate who helped armed police catch suspect by giving them a lift goes viral 

‘No job too big, no job too small’ is normally the slogan preferred by a man with a minibus.

But a driver in Kent found himself facing the biggest job of his life after unpreparedly tailgating an armed police officer pursuing a suspect.

Footage from Kent Police, viewed more than three million times online, shows armed officers pursuing a suspect following reports of a serious assault in Margate shortly before 1pm on June 16.

The suspect takes a break and runs down a residential street, unfazed by the gunshot threat, while officers in heavy tactical gear scramble to catch up with him.

A breathless officer at the back of the group gets a lucky break when a regular hero pulls up next to him in a black van at an intersection at the head of Tivoli Road.

“Get in the back, get in the back,” the driver says, barely lifting his arm out the window.

The grateful lawman replies: ‘Go, go, go – cheers, mate, follow that constable.’

As the man in the minibus presses the pedal, he adds: ‘Don’t crash’ – to which his would-be driver replies: ‘I won’t crash, sir.’

The incident, which could have lasted minutes or hours on foot or even caused the suspect to escape, was completed in a few minutes.

This is when a pickup truck driver stopped to give the car to one of the armed officers

The armed police officer sits coolly in the pickup truck with the door open, tells the driver to go ahead and passes the suspect racing down the sidewalk.

Ordering the van to stop, he jumps out after opening the sliding door again and points his rifle at his man, who is moments away from disappearing into some trees that lead into a labyrinth of residential areas.

The suspect is captured off-screen, and a few minutes later the officer returns to the minibus driver, who remained at the scene, and thanks him with a hearty handshake.

“Sorry, man,” he tells the driver, who is wearing a black T-shirt and cargo shorts.

He simply replies: ‘Don’t worry. I’m glad I could serve. “That was pretty exciting.”

“I hope the rest of the day goes a little calmer,” the officer jokes before the footage cuts away.

The pursuit lasted just over 20 seconds in total, and the pickup truck driver was seen traveling approximately 250 meters to help police catch his man.

Kent Police said the van driver’s actions helped bring the chase to a quick end and the suspect had a chance to escape.

The agency says he is highly commended. It has not been made public yet.

But the ordinary man’s extraordinary actions and quick thinking were praised by users on social media.

This footage shows the armed officer moments after jumping out of the van, pointing his G36C automatic rifle at the suspect and arresting him.

The officer then shook hands with the minibus driver and said ‘thank you’ for helping catch the fleeing suspect

‘As it should be. A user on X said that a man trying to do his job was helped by someone who saw that he could help.

Another joked on Facebook: ‘Black van, all it needed was a red stripe and A-Team music.’

‘How does he say.. ‘I’m glad I served and it was quite exciting’ – how British was all of this for you? haha. What legends. ‘I like this,’ said another.

Armed Police Inspector Will Lay said: ‘A violent criminal who was relentlessly pursued and tried to evade capture came close to losing patrols in a nearby park. However, our armed officers remained determined.

‘Thanks to the quick and dedicated actions of this responsible and public-minded driver, officers were able to apprehend the dangerous individual.

‘A successful arrest might not have been possible without a member of the public and his vehicle.

‘He should be proud of his contribution to keeping his community safe and we are truly grateful for his help.’