Faster than a Thief!

I love the people who call themselves Washingtonians!  This is an example of the good people of D.C. banding together to do what is right, help someone in need, and stand up against crime.

Tuesday, July 16 was another hot morning in D.C., and the humidity made it feel hotter.  But this run was exciting since while I was on my regular 7 mile/1 hour loop, I caught a thief!  I was about two and a half miles into my run and running down the backside of a hill on Irving from Georgian Avenue when I heard a woman scream and saw her tussling with a boy.  She kept screaming and he broke free and ran right towards me at which point two other guys were giving chase.  I cut off his route and the three of us had him cornered against a wall, but he pushed one guy into a pole and sprinted down Sherman Avenue.  I decided to go after him since I knew he didn't have a weapon and went into full-on sprint mode, catching up with him as he was 20-25 feet ahead of me.  I was almost on top of him and getting ready to attempt to trip him by kicking out his feet when he ran into a wooden pole that was holding up a sapling in the median.  He fell to the ground, and I pounced on him, holding him in a body lock until the other two guys came; one helped me secure him and the other called the police.  When the police arrived, we turned him over where he was handcuffed, fingerprinted, and arrested.  The victim was thankful to receive her cell phone back (I'm not sure if he got her purse as well), and when I was told I could go, I thanked the others and finished my workout.

What really impressed me was the number of Good Samaritans that helped this woman.  There were three of us that apprehended the thief and some onlookers that called police or offered to help.  And the sense that I got from the citizens was they were fed up with the crime and were banding together to stop this one incident.  It was truly empowering, and I felt really pumped up after to have helped a fellow Washingtonian in need, to do my mitzvah for the day, and to be part of a city that doesn't just turn their back on someone in need.  There's something special about D.C.!

The next time I see a sign during a race that reads, "Run like you stole something!" I'm going to think to myself, "Run like you're chasing someone who stole something!"