HEWITT, TX — The Hewitt police officer that was shot during a bank robbery in February opened up about what happened that day.
Clint Brandon was shot in the shoulder as he tried to catch the bank robber.
His dedication to the job just wouldn't let him stop his pursuit of the bad guy.
A decision he made in his childhood might have had a bigger impact on the life of Hewitt Police Officer Clint Brandon than he thinks.
"I wanted to be a rodeo rider when I was a kid," he said.
So, bravery runs through him.
"I guess you could say that," Brandon smiled.
That bravery served him well when he answered a bank robbery call earlier this year at Hewitt's Pointwest branch.
Why police work?
Brandon says he likes the variety and mystery of the job.
"When I show up for work, I have no idea what I'm gonna get into that day," he explained.
He certainly had no idea of what would happen at the Pointwest bank robbery.
Brandon approached the bank from behind, staying hidden from the robber, until he positioned his car in front of the bank.
Dallas Scott Bohanan, 25, backed his truck up to the front of the building.
Officer Brandon took cover and waited.
"I could see the guy coming out of the bank, walking along the side of his truck. So that's when I got out of my car and I drew on him, and told him to show me his hands. And what did he do? He started shooting at me," Brandon said.
Brandon crawled to the back of his car for more protection and kept firing.
Bohanan's 22-rifle jammed and he took off in his truck, with Brandon close behind.
The incident ended on Hewitt Drive when Bohanan stopped and turned a shotgun on Brandon, who took a shot to the shoulder. But Brandon still managed to chase after Bohanan.
Other officers caught up with Bohanan in Waco.
Bohanan already had a few bank robberies under his belt when he robbed Pointwest.
Hewitt Police Chief Jim Devlin believes that if officer Brandon hadn't stopped Bohanan that day, his bank robbery spree would have turned deadly.
"It's a big thing to happen early in a career, but this kind of thing derails careers. It does. It has a tendency to make people think and second-guess what it is that they're doing," said Devlin.
But Brandon second-guesses nothing. This type of career he seemed destined for as a child, suits him.
Bohanan pleaded guilty to bank robbery and weapons charges in U.S. Magistrate Court. He still faces charges in Texas for shooting Brandon.
