BATON ROUGE – The criminal whose attack on a Baton Rouge Police officer was thwarted by a good Samaritan pleaded guilty for the violent encounter this week.

Thomas Bennett pleaded guilty to disarming a police officer, aggravated battery, possession of cocaine and a burglary charge. Bennett will be sentenced later this year.

Bennett was found asleep in a car parked along Harry Drive in February and when confronted by an officer who woke him up, grabbed the officer's baton and started hitting the officer in the head. At some point during the altercation, police said Bennett tried to take the officer's gun.

56-year-old Vickie Williams Tillman saw what was happening and intervened. She jumped on Bennett's back and was able to stop him from further injuring the officer. She held on until additional police arrived.

Bennett had to be tased to calm down.

The officer and Tillman were treated for minor injuries.

Tillman received gratitude and recognition for her bravery.

"I just want to say I'm so glad that [the officer is] here... I know God led me in that direction when I left my home," she said in a previous interview.

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