Tackle First

Melvin Ainsworth's walks across the Carquinez Bridge in Vallejo, California, aren't usually exciting. But on one recent stroll, Ainsworth says he was just minding his business when he was tackled from behind. Not by a mugger, but by police officer Jeremie Patzer. It seems Patzer had been told a man in his 20s or 30s was either dangling a baby over the bridge or about to jump—a man wearing a San Francisco 49ers jacket. Ainsworth is 77 and wasn't dangling a baby, but he was wearing a 49ers jacket, which apparently is close enough to tackle. Patzer says he told Ainsworth to stop, but he didn't respond. The tackle left Ainsworth with a sprained wrist and six stitches above his eye.