A suspected jewellery thief was held at gunpoint by a witness who initially pursued the person, was cornered and compelled to attract his weapon.
Andonis D. Thompson, 41, was arrested Monday on suspicion of first diploma theft after allegedly operating away with two rings he was inspecting at JC Penney’s Vancouver Mall.
Vancouver Police Division spokeswoman Kim Kapp stated an individual witnessed the theft, so he chased Thompson into the car parking zone of a close-by lodge. This witness was cornered close to a fence within the lodge, she stated.
“The suspect then got here as much as the citizen, which he feared for his security. The citizen, who has an ID card for hid weapons, confirmed his firearm and requested bystanders to name the police, ”stated Kapp.
The citizen was decided to have drawn his weapon in self-defense, stated Kapp. She added that police advise towards pursuing suspects, significantly in property crimes.
“Name 911, give as a lot element as you’ll be able to, and get regulation enforcement to behave. Some of these encounters will be harmful and we do not need residents to be unnecessarily damage, ”she stated.
A Vancouver police officer was dispatched to the incident at 6:37 p.m.
The investigation discovered {that a} store clerk believed he was serving to Thompson select a hoop for his girlfriend. Thompson claimed he needed to test the readability of two chosen rings on an affidavit with a possible trigger.
“One of many witnesses joked, ‘Properly, do not run away with it.’ (The worker) acknowledged at that second that the suspect checked out her instantly after which began to flee in the direction of the exit, ”the affidavit reads.
A household, seeing what had occurred, tried to stop Thompson from escaping, however he escaped beneath oath. At that time, one of many witnesses continued to pursue Thompson and ultimately held him again till officers arrived within the space.
Police seized the 2 rings, valued at round $ 12,000.
Thompson first appeared in Clark County Superior Court docket on Tuesday. Decide Gregory Gonzales granted supervised launch within the case; an indictment listening to is scheduled for March ninth.
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