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Video: Concerned New Yorkers Tackle Midtown Mugger, Recover Woman's Money
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 4, 2015
Modified Jun 4, 2015
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 4, 2015
Modified Jun 4, 2015
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A mugger was arrested after being tackled and held by random New Yorkers in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday.
Police say the incident happened yesterday afternoon when 37-year-old Theodore Shearin grabbed the backpack belonging to an unnamed woman on 35th Street and 8th Avenue. Shearin then dragged the woman across the street as she tried to keep him from stealing her bag. At that point, a group of passersby grabbed him and held him down. You can see video of that below.
You can hear the good Samaritans, who are holding Shearin in a headlock, ask the victim, "Do you want to press charges?" to which she heartily responds, "Yes, he's an asshole!"
"While leaving work today, I had the great fortune of witnessing firsthand why New Yorkers are so f*cking awesome," wrote J Bryant of Coed, who recorded the video. "Without a second thought, 10 to 12 citizens tackled this huge thug and took him to the ground. Just as many came to the aid of the victim and helped gather her belonging that were spread all across street in rush hour traffic. It wasn’t a black thing or a white thing, it was just good people doing the right thing."
Shearin eventually made a run for it, but he was arrested by MTA police around 6:30 p.m. He has been charged with robbery, assault, criminal possession of stolen property and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
And this is just the latest example of New Yorkers banding together to fight crime and look out for each other. We're not all self-absorbed Ayn Randian manspreaders!
Tagged
arrest
manhattan
midtown
mugging
robbery
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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