MAYOR STEW YOUNG CHASES DOWN CANDY THIEF
I said, ‘OK, well, let’s go get him’
Langford Mayor Stew Young has taken crime-fighting into his own hands, chasing down and catching a reported candy thief.
Randy Leggett, produce manager at the Western Foods supermarket in Langford, said he and co-worker Shaun Heinekey went after a man in his late 20s who they believe took “a couple of bags of candy” and some drinks from the store.
“We chased him pretty much into traffic and had a scuffle in the bushes,” Leggett said.
The pair tried to grab the alleged shoplifter, but he struggled and got away.
That’s when Young, who was driving near the fountain roundabout at Goldstream Avenue and Bryn Maur Road, took notice.
“I didn’t realize he was the mayor, he was just a guy in a giant Cadillac,” Leggett said. “I thought he might be a plainclothed police officer, until my buddy said, ‘You know, that’s the mayor.’ ”
Young said he rolled down his window and asked what was going on. “I said, ‘OK, well, let’s go get him.’ ”
They lost sight of the alleged shoplifter after he ran up a side street. Young drove toward Veterans Memorial Parkway and parked his car. Then he saw the man re-emerge on Goldstream Avenue.
“I grabbed him, said, ‘Give me your bag, give me your stuff, the cops are coming.’ ”
He told the man to sit on the sidewalk until the police arrived.
West Shore RCMP had already been called and arrived within 30 seconds, he said.
Leggett said the man is a regular in the store. He said thefts happen about once a week.
He said he has had second thoughts about the chase, after seeing the handle of a knife in the man’s bag after he was caught.
“I’m not sure why he’d have that, unless he’s going deer hunting after he’s done robbing us,” Leggett said. “It definitely makes you think twice.”
Young said he did what anyone would do. “When you see that stuff in your downtown core, obviously, you’re going to help,” he said. “There’s a lot of theft going on, more than I’ve ever remembered, across the region. … It’s good to have eyes and ears out in your community.”