Daylan McLee had a really rough history with the police. Having been falsely accused of pointing a gun at a police officer, he spent a year in jail for a crime he didn’t commit before finally being acquitted.
He’s also been stopped many times in traffic when he was doing anything wrong. He had every reason to hold a grudge, but when it really mattered, he put all that aside and inspired us all.
His past didn't prevent him from doing what's right
"Oh, a typical run-in is you're just pulling out from your house and you get pulled, no traffic violations," McLee told CBS News when asked about his history of interactions with the police.
"How does that make you feel about police, in general?"
"Definitely a lot of animosity, as in, if I see them, I want to go the other way," McLee said.
So, McLee had every right to feel some bitterness, but when he heard a huge crash on a Uniontown, Pennsylvania street corner, none of that mattered.
There was just a lot of screaming, a lot of chaos. Ah man, I get chills when I think of it.
Daylan McLee
The police officer was trapped inside a burning car
What McLee saw before him was bad traffic accident involving a police car. The officer was trapped inside and the gas tank was leaking. As flames spread towards the cabin, there was no time to lose. McLee put himself at risk, stepping toward the burning car.
"I don't know how I got that door open, and I grabbed him out."
"All of a sudden the door just gets ripped open," said Jay Hanley, the officer whom McLee rescued.
It's amazing when there's true love in people and they can get you out of something like that — no matter who you are or where you come from. There should be more people like that.
Jay Hanley
The world needs more people like Daylan
Last week, McLee visited Hanley and his wife. McLee may have been through a lot, but he still believes there are a lot of good cops out there.
"We're waiting for you to get back out there," McLee said. "I appreciate it, man, thank you," Hanley said.
I want people to start to look at everybody as Americans and not, 'He's White, he's Black, he's Asian.' We're people - and when we start realizing that, things should get better.
Daylan McLee
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