Passer-by pinned down robber after theft in city
A BRAVE passer-by came to the aid of an elderly man robbed by two thieves in Hull city centre.
There was a large police presence at around 10am on Wednesday with two police vans and two squad cars in South Street, between the Prospect Centre and Jameson Street.
A witness described officers holding on to a man while a large group of people gathered around.
Hull man Kris described the moment he intervened to help. He managed to detain one of the robbers, but the other escaped.
Kris said: “I was walking from Prospect Centre heading towards Heron Foods when I saw two males walking fast towards me. An old gentleman came around the corner and shouted ‘them lads have robbed me.’
“I grabbed them both, but one got away so I tripped the one I still had hold of and lowered him to the floor.
“I pinned him to the pavement and knelt on his hip holding him in place. He couldn’t move so he wasn’t violent, but just pleaded his innocence.
“I asked the gentleman if he was OK. He seemed shook up and appeared to be a vulnerable guy about 70 years of age.”
Kris says instinct took over after being angered by what he witnessed.
He said: “Instinct just kicked in. I despise thieves. People work hard all their life and others think they can just take what they want.
“We’re all facing hard times at the moment and that guy had his pension taken. I don’t know what the amount was, but that is totally irrelevant. Even as little as £1, the poor old guy didn’t need that stress in his life.
“I simply did it thinking he’s someone’s grandad and if mine was still alive and in the same predicament, I’d hope someone would do the same.
“Then the police attended and cuffed the guy. The gentleman who was still a little shaken was so thankful. He shook my hand and thanked me about five or six times in the space of 30 seconds.
“Hopefully, this has restored his faith in humanity.”
One witness says how suddenly there was a large police presence. Several officers descended on South Street, close to the Prospect Centre.
The witness said: “I noticed a group crowding around a man who was on the floor and there was one police officer there who was with them. A few minutes later I noticed there were more officers - there were two cars and a van.
“Then another can turned up. It wasn’t obvious what was happening but there were a lot of police and a lot of people around.”
Humberside Police later posted on Facebook praising those that intervened. They also confirmed a man was arrested at the scene.
The post said: “Officers attended Jameson Street in Hull after a member of public had detained a male who had stolen money from an elderly vulnerable male - fantastic community spirit displayed by the individual who put the elderly victim before himself.”