Mike Colón Media

Before he became an NYPD Assistant Commissioner, Kevin O’Connor was a young cop working the streets of Manhattan. In this story from 1988, he recalls a dangerous chase and apprehension of an armed man in Times Square — and the unlikely role a group of drunk veterans played in saving him that night.

It’s a raw, human moment that shows how relationships built on respect — even with those on society’s margins — can come back around in ways you least expect. His repayment? A simple gesture: buying his unlikely guardians a round from the local package store.

Catch the full conversation on Mic’d In New Haven.

Outro Song: The Who – Magic Bus (1968)

FULL INTERVIEW: