Veterans Help Catch Thief Who Stole Elderly Woman’s Phone in SF Chinatown

November 13, 2020

An elderly woman is safe thanks to bystanders in San Francisco Chinatown who stopped a man from running off with her phone.

Chasing the thief: Lily Ho and Tom House, who were shopping in Chinatown on Nov. 1, did not think twice about chasing the young man down after he took off with the elderly woman’s phone, ABC7 News reported.

When House, a 25-year service member, asked Ho if they should help catch the culprit, she didn’t hesitate to chase the man in their Jeep.
“I turn and I say ‘hey give me the phone back’ and he like turned and looked his eyes got really big and he turned and threw the phone at me,” House, who hopped out of the car and ran after the suspect the rest of the way, recounted to ABC.
Leanna Louie, a U.S. Army veteran, and Rob Lowe, co-founders of the neighborhood patrol group United Peace Corps, tried to make sure the victim was alright.
They joined the chase as they turned onto the street and saw the suspect on Turk Murphy alley.

Do something: While San Francisco police were able to make an arrest across from the Chinatown police station, public information officer Tiffany Hang suggested that people in the community shouldn’t take a suspect down on their own.

“We’re so happy nobody was injured in this incident, that’s always a good thing, although we don’t recommend citizens approach or confront suspects on their own accord,” Hang explained.
House said the suspect potentially carrying a gun didn’t stop him from springing into action.
Louie added, “We have seen so many of these cases that just go unnoticed and un-arrested.”
“See something, say something, do something,” Ho echoed.
An ongoing investigation is being conducted by the San Francisco police.

Feature Image via Dion Lim

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