A Good Samaritan at the Deptford Mall saved an officer who was being held in a chokehold, police say

A bystander rescued a police officer being held in a “guillotine” chokehold by another man who police said had been harassing shoppers at the Deptford Mall on Friday.

Deptford Township Police Officer Anthony Gatto responded to reports of a man acting in a disorderly manner at the mall shortly after 7:30 p.m. Friday, police said, and tried unsuccessfully to get the man, Michael A. Carberry, to leave before attempting to arrest him.

» READ MORE: Deptford Township police officer dies from injuries sustained when he was shot in the line of duty

But Carberry, 43, a Mickleton, N.J., resident, resisted arrest and took a “fighting stance,” according to a police statement about the incident. When Gatto tried to restrain him, Carberry was able to place him in a chokehold, “effectively cutting off [the] blood and oxygen supply of the officer,” police said. In a “guillotine” chokehold, one person strangles another by wrapping an arm around their neck.

At that point, the bystander, whom police did not identify, intervened to help Gatto, who escaped with minor injuries.

Carberry was charged with criminal attempted homicide, aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and defiant trespass, police said.

The incident came less than two weeks after the death of Deptford Township Police Officer Robert Shisler, 27, who did not recover after being shot in the line of duty two months earlier.

Deptford Police Chief Joe Smith said he was “forever grateful” for the bystander’s intervention at the mall.

“Now, more than ever, we rely on the strength of community and the strength of each other,” Smith said. “We value our relationships with the residents and stakeholders of Deptford Township, and we are thankful that a mall patron had the bravery to intervene and assist our officer.”