Struggle vet ‘Loopy Ed’ takes down lurking thief in video days after saving a existence

This tale discusses suicide. When you or any person is having ideas of suicide, please touch the Suicide & Disaster Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

A would-be thief lurking round a California Walmart did not stand an opportunity when he bumped into HED P.E.’s excursion bus and met Josh “Loopy Ed” Edwards.

“Josh was once like, ‘F—— swing on me. I dare you,’” some of the band participants mentioned in an Instagram video on Jan. 23 that they shared with Fox Information Virtual that displays Edwards’ takedown and the aftermath.

Band participants laughed and narrated the scene as Edwards held the suspect at the flooring and emptied his wallet, the place he discovered a knife that he tossed to the aspect. 

Then the 2 had a talk whilst they waited for the police. The suspect concept Edwards was once a part of an undercover sting.

“No, that is 10 years of army. You might be f—— with the mistaken folks,” mentioned the Military vet, who stored any person’s existence simply 3 days previous. 

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Technically, Edwards is HED P.E.’s “excursion supervisor.” However remaining week he expanded his roles and joked that he is been practising to take over as lead vocalist of the rock band. 

He instructed Fox Information Virtual in an unique interview that issues did not appear rather proper when a “shady automobile” parked a couple of areas in entrance of the band’s bus, which was once off to the aspect of a Walmart. 

A man were given out of the auto and walked round a couple of occasions, speeding out and in of the timber, consistent with Edwards, who mentioned it gave the look of they had been scoping one thing out and gave Jared Gomes, HED P.E.’s lead vocalist, a heads up.

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“I used to be like, ‘One thing’s now not proper, so I will keep watch over it,'” he mentioned. “So he does some other lap. I am going again within the RV, looking to get us packed up after which most likely like 5 mins after that, the dude from the auto comes flying out across the again of the nook.”

He was once being chased by means of Walmart safety, which just about hit the band’s bus. And the suspect slammed into the entrance. Edwards was once at the bus steps and grabbed him. 

“He turns round and swings on me,” Edwards mentioned. “So, he did a swan dive into the asphalt, and after that were given him at the flooring, searched him… And after that he did not withstand a lot once I put him in that bent arm bar.”

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The battle’s over, if it was once a battle, and Edwards is going from safety to therapist, as the 2 males have a heart-to-heart chat whilst they look ahead to the arresting officials. 

“He saved pronouncing his shoulder harm, so I even attempted to house him, and I put him on his knees, toes crossed. It is an previous army methodology,” Edwards mentioned. “I did the entirety I may, and we had a pleasing communicate whilst I used to be sitting there looking forward to the law enforcement officials. 

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“I used to be like, why are you doing this, blah, blah, blah. And he is speaking about going via a divorce and having problems along with his children. And I used to be like this, ‘This ain’t the best way. This ain’t gonna will let you. 

“And we in truth each thanked each and every different as a result of I wanted the adrenaline rush, and , I would possibly have helped him get his existence again.”

HED P.E. created an indication of Josh Edwards taking down the would-be thief. (thereadlhedpe/Instagram)

That was once on Jan. 23. 3 days previous, in Butte, Montana, safety guard/therapist/excursion supervisor Edwards performed the position of Captain The us. 

It was once about 3:30 a.m., and the band was once at the means from Nice Falls to Boise. There have been six-plus inches of snow at the flooring, and one of the most band participants noticed a sprawling carnage of particles within the highway.

The path ended in an overturned truck with the sunshine nonetheless on. Inside of, a person was once handed out along with his head urgent in opposition to the horn.

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“So we pull over actual fast,” Edwards mentioned. Two participants of the band hopped out and referred to as 911 whilst Edwards found out tips on how to get this man out of the auto. They are all calling out to the motive force. 

“We are yelling, ‘Someone there?’ And the dude comes crawling out the a ways aspect of his truck, and prefer roughly making it round. (He has) no footwear on, a jacket or a protracted sleeve blouse,” he mentioned.

Edwards went to paintings, pulling him from the wreckage and wrapping him in blankets. They were given him onto the bus to heat him up and look ahead to medics to reach on the scene.

Josh Edwards all through his time within the U.S. Military, the place he served 10 years and was once deployed six occasions. (Contributed)

“He would’ve iced up to demise if we were not there,” Edwards mentioned. 

The driving force, who Edwards mentioned was once in his past due 20s-early 30s and residing in his automobile whilst he was once in between jobs, fell asleep whilst riding and crashed.

“We in truth reached out to his folks that evening, looking to allow them to know what was once happening, and he referred to as us an afternoon or two later and mentioned he was once excellent,” Edwards mentioned. “And he thanked us for saving his existence.”

Crawling out of the darkish spiral after 10 years within the army

Edwards’ chaotic week was once emblematic of his existence. He was once awarded a Struggle Motion Badge in 2015, when he and his group took on sniper fireplace in Afghanistan. 

“There have been mortars getting walked in on us. We had SF (particular forces) group within the village operating a venture,” Edwards mentioned. “Just a bit little bit of the entirety was once happening all through that travel. 

“Rounds had been pinging off our armor on our truck. The truck at the back of me was once blown up. Fortunately, all of them survived.”

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However lively fight took its toll. One in every of his closest buddies – Sgt. Joshua Strickland – was once killed in motion, amongst many different buddies. Sgt. Strickland had a spouse and 3 youngsters looking forward to him to come back house.

“Josh’s demise hit the toughest. After which I imply you nearly move numb to it after that,” Edwards mentioned. “We had been shedding any person right here and there for a time.”

Josh Edwards mentioned the struggles he confronted coming house from warfare and the way changing into a excursion supervisor with HED P.E. introduced him out of a depressing hollow. (Contributed)

Transitioning from the army again to civilian existence was once difficult for him, and he spiraled into a depressing abyss that bottomed out in a suicide try, Edwards mentioned. 

His spouse left him all through a deployment, and he misplaced contact along with his children for years, he mentioned. “So, I simply caught with the preventing as it was once more straightforward to numb the ache after which with preventing comes loss.”

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“I have misplaced rather a couple of buddies, and it simply made me an increasing number of numb and put me right into a darker hollow and getting out harm. I felt like I did not have a function, and it took awhile to seek out it.”

He survived a suicide try and credited 22 Till None, a nonprofit crew of volunteers who commit full-time hours to serving to veterans and their households. 

“They gave me a function for a little bit bit, however then I roughly misplaced my means once more, labored with some other group that walks around the nation for suicide consciousness walks, so I were given like, 1,000-plus miles strolling in flip-flops with some other good friend,” mentioned Edwards, who joked that he hates footwear. 

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A task utility with HED P.E. that modified his existence.

“However at the moment, I will without a doubt see the sunshine all day. In order that’s cool,” Edwards mentioned. 

A large a part of that he attributes to existence with the band, HED P.E., which has been cranking out hits because the mid ’90s by means of fusing rap and punk. 

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Gomes mentioned he recalls assembly Edwards a couple of years ahead of he in the end employed him. 

“I consider playing his corporate and being round him, however he did not have revel in, so he did not paintings on that excursion,” Gomes instructed Fox Information Virtual. 

HED P.E., which began within the ’90s, has been traveling all yr. (thereadlhedpe/Instagram)

That was once a couple of years in the past. In August, HED P.E. posted a task searching for a “merch man” in Texas, and Edwards came about to be there on the time, so he carried out.

Gomes mentioned they attempted one or two different guys, who did not pan out, so that they referred to as Edwards, and he are compatible proper in. He is been traveling with the band since August. 

His duties grew to incorporate drum tech, mechanic when their RV broke down in Canada and excursion control. 

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Ultimate week he added safety and superhero.

Subsequent, he is going for backup vocalist for Gomes, however “he nonetheless hasn’t signed off on that but.”

Fox Information Virtual’s Mitch Picasso contributed to this document.