Cape Coral man speaks on helping apprehend armed 13-year-old

The man who helped apprehend an armed 13-year-old spoke on the incident.

We told you earlier this week about a 13-year-old boy who is accused of robbing someone for an electric scooter near a residence in the northeastern portion of Cape Coral.

Shortly after the initial call about the theft, authorities received a second call that the boy was seen threatening another child at Burton Memorial Park.

The arresting officers determined he was involved in two other scenes involving a gun.

• RELATED: Cape Coral police arrest 13-year-old accused of armed robbery

Parents and kids were out enjoying Burton Memorial Park Saturday evening, but some couldn’t stop talking about what happened here earlier in the week.

The park looked very different Wednesday night when Cape Coral police say a 13-year-old boy threatened another child with a loaded gun.

Several fathers who were present at the park didn’t waste any time; they got the gun away from the teen and held onto him until the police came.

We spoke to Christopher Nicholson, who helped that night. Nicholson is an ex-servicemember who coaches softball at the park.

“He was pretty much from me to you, as far as how close we were, and at that point in time, he took his hand and went straight for his waistband and went to draw what I could assume at that point in time was him drawing the firearm. As soon as he lifted his shirt, I saw the firearm, and I recognized it as not a BB Gun. It was alive. It was a real firearm. In fact, I own the same model and everything, so I identified it right away. At that point in time, I safely reached over, blocked his arm and safely removed the firearm off his side,” he said.

He told us he was happy to help, but the real hero was a 12-year-old child who cleared the playground and alerted parents to the teen with the gun.

“He did the smartest thing he [could] do. He didn’t cause any confrontation. He went and told an adult right away, so that was great. That’s what saved, I think, multiple lives at night,” Nicholson said.

Digging deeper, court records show this is not the 13-year-old’s first arrest. It’s the fifth time.

One mom said he clearly needs help.

“They’re going to put him in a jail where he’s not going to get the proper help that he needs. Then, eventually, they’re going to release him, and then it’s going to happen again,” she said.

The boy was taken to the juvenile assessment center and faces several charges.