"It was an interesting way to punctuate a neighborhood picnic," said Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, sitting comfortably in his office Thursday.

The picnic was Wednesday night. The neighborhood: Moores Park -- right in the thick of the Lansing Police Department's pursuit of two suspects -- the men from Wednesday's fatal shooting in west Lansing.

"We heard a siren," the mayor said. "And it seemed to be getting closer and closer, and it turned out it was a Lansing police car."

The mayor was at the pavilion in Moores Park for a neighborhood association gathering, when one of those suspects came running through a nearby parking lot. The police caught up to him and arrested him at about 8:15 p.m.

"By the time I realized what was happening, really, the officer was wrestling him to the ground, getting his handcuffs on," Bernero said.

Then, the mayor says, some of the picnic-goers showed their true colors -- as they took off running after the second suspect.

"An old man came by with a dog and a cane over his shoulder. So he was out joining the search," said Bernero.

No, they didn't catch the suspect. The Lansing police did that early Thursday morning. And they say the community effort helped.

"It's very helpful for us to people get involved in trying to help solve crime," said Lt. Judy Horning of the Lansing Police Department. "To the extent that they are not injuring themselves."

A sentiment that Bernero echoes.

"The police alone can not make our neighborhoods safe," he said. "It is about things like neighborhood watch, and neighborhood association, and getting involved, and knowing your neighbors."

No normal picnic. And no normal picnic-goers.