Yesterday in Anderson, California, a man reported his 1991 Honda Accord stolen, then later tracked down, fought, and subdued the suspected thief in an epic citizen’s arrest.
The man who reported his Honda sedan stolen (of course it was an Accord) also posted a photo of the vehicle on his Facebook page, alerting friends that the car had gone missing. That little Facebook post ended up being a godsend, because shortly after it went up, a buddy called the owner saying he had spotted the car.
It wasn’t long before the owner arrived, and began pursuing the stolen Honda, which the Anderson Police Department claims was being driven by 29-year-old William Ashby. The alleged thief managed to royally screwed up the getaway, with the Police Department saying in its press release:
Ashby drove the stolen vehicle to the end of Flagstone Court where it collided with a concrete curb and attempted to leave the area on foot to avoid apprehension; but the victim had other plans.
After “words were exchanged” between Ashby and the owner, and the former refused to stick around to wait for police, the victim tackled Ashby and “a fight occurred.”
The Accord owner and his friends were then able to hold Ashby until police arrived, ultimately concluding the wild “citizen’s arrest.” Police officers put Ashby in cuffs, and later found that he was on parole after having been charged with robbery.
The police took the alleged thief to the county jail, where they booked him on a laundry list of charges, including:
...felony vehicle theft (10851 CVC), felony possession of a stolen vehicle (496d(a) PC), felony threatening or intimidating a victim/witness of a crime (136.1 PC), misdemeanor threatening to fight in public (415 PC), and a violation of his parole (3056 PC).
The Anderson Police Department thanked the people who helped find and apprehend Ashby, though it did make clear in its press release that “it is generally safer for citizens to contact police prior to engaging criminals.”
I think that’s probably good advice. No early ’90s Honda Accord is worth dying for.