Nicholas Ferro may have eluded arrest in the stabbing death of Marques Butler, save the quick actions of two police officers and a Good Samaritan who thwarted his potential getaway.

Lt. Alfredo Vasquez and Lt. David Smith were on foot patrol near the intersection of Duval and Caroline streets around 4:09 a.m. when pedestrians flagged them down to report a fight, according to reports.

As Vasquez approached, he saw Ferro quickly walking away from the scene, so he told him to stop and return to the scene with him, he wrote in his report.

"A call over the radio advised there was a stabbing in the area," Vasquez wrote. "Ferro then yelled, '(expletive) it! (expletive) it!' and began to flee from me on foot, west on Caroline."

Ferro allegedly disregarded Vasquez's commands to stop, so the officer drew his Taser and chased Ferro. A passerby, identified in reports as Peter Gross, saw the chase, so he stepped into Ferro's path, giving Vasquez enough time to use his Taser and handcuff Ferro, reports say.

Ferro, 23, of Hollywood, Fla., was charged with second-degree murder and resisting arrest without violence and remains in the Monroe County jail without bond. His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday.

"Not to overshadow the tragedy, but it was very fortunate that these two officers were on scene and understood (Ferro's) potential involvement as someone who was trying to leave the scene," City Manager Jim Scholl said. "Had they not taken that action, the suspect may have never been apprehended. Reviewing this, those two did a very good job."

While those officers were busy with Ferro, Officer Eric Biskup was pushing back the crowd so the ambulance could get through the mob. Biskup reported that he and other officers, as well as Butler, were surrounded by a "large, angry crowd" that was "shouting profanities at the police" and each other.

One man, Daryl Eugene Lewis Jr., 22, of Key West, reportedly was hindering Biskup so much that the officer used his Taser to control him. One Taser probe did not "seat properly" and its use did not show any affect on him, Biskup wrote, so he took Lewis to the ground and used the stun-gun feature, delivering a single stun to his upper back, according to reports.

Capt. Scott Smith called the scene and Butler's subsequent death "a tragedy," and said he has reviewed the incident and thinks officers did a good job of controlling the chaos.

"Again, it's an incredibly unfortunate incident," Smith said. "But the officers on scene did an exceptional job."

alinhardt@keysnews.com