It’s always nice to see a criminal getting tripped up in the process of committing a crime.
Who says there’s no tripping in crime-fighting? This was one time nobody wanted to see a two-minute penalty for tripping. A standing ovation would be more in order for Toronto’s mystery hero.
And a medal.
The person who bravely tripped an alleged truck thief on Queen St. on Friday in an attempt to flee the out-of-control mayhem is certainly getting applause from the Toronto Police officers on the scene.
“Somebody track that person down and present an award,” said Toronto Police Association President Clayton Campbell on 640 Toronto radio with retired Toronto Police Homicide Insp. Hank Idsinga with morning show host Greg Brady on Monday morning.
Idsinga, who is 640 Toronto’s crime specialist, said it was “great to see from a citizen instead of using their cellphone to capture it for social media.”
Toronto Police agree. They had an officer and a beloved police horse named York struck in this ugly incident and realize this could have turned out far worse than it did.
A lot of that help was from the brave citizens who stepped up — literally.
“We would like to thank the members of the public who assisted during Friday’s incident on Queen St.,” said Toronto Police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer. “The woman was promptly arrested at the scene, and the man was apprehended shortly after a foot pursuit. Thanks to a quick-thinking civilian who intervened, officers were able to complete the arrest swiftly and safely.”
This anonymous person is all over social media receiving high praise from the cops who say they could easily have lost officers and a mounted unit horse, too. They appreciated this support.
For those who didn’t see it, it stems from a video shown on the Toronto Sun website and all over social media. An allegedly stolen pickup truck was seen eluding to responding police, in which it hit a horse with an officer on the saddle and then smashed into the front window of the Little Burgundy store.
The truck narrowly missed a woman walking by who barely got out of the way just in time. The Mounted Unit’s York went to a veterinarian and is said to be doing okay. The officer was treated in hospital.
But the Good Samaritan who stuck out a leg and sent this perpetrator flying and helped police make the arrest remains unknown. We have got to change that. Some officers want to shake this person’s hand. The public wants to say thank you as well.
And I want to interview him.
What a star. Maybe the Argos should bring whoever it is to Montreal this weekend for the playoff game against the Alouettes because that was a heck of a takedown.
Cop sources tell me that act of sticking out of a leg and sending the alleged scumbag to the sidewalk slowed him down enough that police were able to make the arrest further down Queen St. Special shout-out to the Mounted Unit which not only assisted, but was at great risk.
Two people were collared in this incident. As the Toronto Sun’s Spiro Papuckoski reported, Jonathan Chabot Desrosiers, 33, of no fixed address, was charged with theft of a motor vehicle, possessing property obtained by crime over $5,000, injuring certain animals, two counts of mischief/damage property over $5,000, four counts of assault of peace officer with a weapon, dangerous operation of a vehicle, and common nuisance/endanger lives or safety of public, while Cedar Nicholas, 30, also with no fixed address, is charged with theft of a motor vehicle and possessing property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Their charges have not been tested in court. Both were on bail at the time of this alleged wild crime. And both are on bail once again.
Meanwhile, the legend of the mysterious Avenger on Queen St. is growing.
That was perhaps the best citizen’s arrest move of the year. The cops may have scored the goal by putting this sluggo in cuffs.
But give this person an assist, first star of the game and the key to the city.