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Thief chased by passer-by
Beds Police
A BRAVE passer-by helped an off-duty police officer wrestle a thief to the ground after he stole £50 from a pensioner at a cashpoint.
The incident happened on Saturday at around 11am outside Barclays’ cash machine in Dunstable Street when a selfless member of the public chased a thief who grabbed cash from an elderly man.
The man gave chase after the victim shouted: “Stop that man. He’s taken my money.”
Thames Valley police officer Keith Fetherston, who was off-duty at the time, said: “I was driving to Ampthill to get my hair cut when something caught the corner of my eye.
“I saw the then suspect with the elderly male and I just thought something wasn’t quite right. He sprinted off down Dunstable Street towards Flitwick and a member of the public chased after him.
“At that point I knew something was going on, so I pulled up in front of them. As I got out of the car the member of the public grabbed hold of him and I managed to detain him.”
Pc Fetherston added: “This sort of thing gives you a real sense of community spirit. It’s great that somebody put his own safety at risk to catch this guy.
“Without knowing what this guy had on him, he took hold of him and helped me detain him.”
Eyewitness Luan Hall, who owns Faries N Frogs in Ampthill, said: “The first I knew of anything was when I saw a couple of people running past the shop.
“They were running so quickly I thought something big had happened. It’s really lovely in this day and age to see someone putting their own safety at risk for someone else.”
n A man has been charged with two counts of theft.
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Weather for Bedford
Monday 28 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 12 C to 19 C
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