A 65-year-old man helped deputies nab a suspected skateboard thief Sunday by trying to tackle the fleeing suspect, causing the suspected thief to lose his balance, which allowed pursuing deputies to make an arrest.
The whole incident began unfolding about 1 p.m. Sunday, while Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies responded to a robbery call, Shirley Miller of the SCV Sheriff’s Station told The Signal.
“A male adult allegedly took a skateboard from a store located on Valencia Boulevard, near a grocery store,” she said, noting he also stole an employee’s cellphone.
“Responding deputies saw the man running across the Bank of America parking lot and then over into the Westfield Valencia mall parking lot, near Sears,” she said. “Apparently, a 65-year-old man, a bystander, saw what was happening and stood directly in the path that the suspect was running in and yelled for the suspect to stop.
“The bystander then attempted to tackle the suspect, causing the suspect to lose his balance and fall. Deputies then slipped the handcuffs on the suspect,” Miller said.
Marcus Collins, a 23-year-old welder who lives in Valencia, was arrested on suspicion of robbery.
His bail was set at $50,000.
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