GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — A Texas police officer saved a man's life with his split-second decision not to shoot him.
After following the suspect on a chase that ended in a resident's driveway in a neighborhood, the man got out of the truck with his hands in a gesture like he had a gun.
The officer yelled he was going to shoot, but in an instant he noticed the man did not actually have a gun -- he was holding a knife and a flashlight.
Rather than fire his pistol, Payne unleashed his K-9 partner, Jurek.
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"Honestly, I think I almost killed that guy," veteran Grand Prairie police officer Jeff Payne told NBC DFW. "If it hadn't been for that split second, I probably would have."
The man was taken to the hospital where he was treated for his injuries, then taken to jail.
Payne was commended by his boss.
"I thought you did a great job," police chief Steve Dye told Payne. "Your restraint, your level of training, and also saving his life."