NYPD cop who heroically leapt barricade to stop would-be terrorist speaks out

Aaron Edwards, the NYPD assistant police chief who was seen in videos and photos vaulting over a barricade to pursue a would-be terrorist in Manhattan last week, has spoken out about what he was thinking in those tense moments and his ensuing viral fame. 

Edwards, 46, and a father of two, was seen in videos clips posted on social media hurdling a barricade mere seconds after Emir Balat,18, threw a homemade bomb in the direction of Edwards and other NYPD officers during a protest outside Gracie Mansion on Saturday. The man authorities say is Balat lights the fuse on the IED and then tosses the smoking bomb in the direction of the officers, video footage shows. Edwards immediately leaps the barricade and chases down Balat, restraining him with the assistance of other NYPD officers.

"To me it was just instinct. I'm trying to get the bad guy," Edwards, who's been on the force for nearly 23 years, told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday. The veteran cop said he wants the photo of him clearing the barricade that has gone viral to be emblematic of the NYPD. “There's gonna be no obstacles, nothing's gonna stand in our way from protecting New Yorkers," he said.

Later Wednesday, in an interview with CBS News, Edwards said he was inspired to become an NYPD officer after watching first responders rush toward the burning World Trade Center towers on 9/11. A similar instinct to what he witness on 9/11 kicked in last Saturday, he said. "I was just laser focused trying to catch this guy and there was nothing gonna stand in my way," he said of running down Balat. 

The courageous act turned Edward into a folk hero on social media practically overnight. Despite the gravity of the situation and the many memes that have followed portraying him as a comic book-type super hero, Edwards was still able to maintain a sense of humor about it all. 

The veteran cop told reporters he was happy he cleared the barricade. "Imagine if I fell," he joked. Below, watch the full interview with CBS News, which also includes sergeant Luis Navarro who was also on the scene and acted bravely in that tense and chaotic moment.