Two motorcycle-riding bag snatchers attempted to run down a policeman while fleeing and tried to seize his gun after being tackled. With the help of enthusiastic citizens, the police were able to subdue them.
Yesterday morning, a dramatic scene unfolded on Shuangxin North Road: two young men riding a motorcycle in reverse on the sidewalk ignored a police officer's order to "stop." Not only did they refuse to stop, but they also prepared to ram into the officer. After being tackled by the police, one of the young men even attempted to "seize" the police officer's gun...
Incident:
Police Officer Tackles Two Bag Snatchers
"I'm still a little scared thinking about it. If that young man had pulled the trigger, things would have gotten out of hand," said a repair shop owner at around 1 p.m. yesterday afternoon, recalling the incident that happened two hours earlier in front of his store at No. 102 Shuangxin North Road.
At around 11:20 a.m., the repair shop owner was fixing machinery inside when he suddenly heard the loud "vroom vroom vroom" sound of a motorcycle outside his shop. Looking up, he saw a stout young man wearing a gray cold-weather jacket and helmet riding a red Yamaha motorcycle southward along the sidewalk. A thin young man wearing a black coat was seated behind him. "Oh no, hurry up! Hurry!" As the motorcycle passed by the repair shop, the shop owner heard the thin young man shouting loudly. The shop owner noticed that the thin young man was holding two women's single-shoulder bags. At this moment, a police car caught up, and two police officers jumped out shouting, "Stop, don't run!" as they approached them. However, the motorcycle didn't stop; instead, the stout young man accelerated, turning the motorcycle sharply to the right and charging towards the officers. The two police officers quickly sidestepped and simultaneously rushed forward, causing the two riders to fall off the motorcycle, which toppled over to the side. One officer pinned the thin young man to the ground, while another chased for about two meters before tackling the stout young man to the ground.
Sudden Escalation:
Close Combat Between Policeman and Thief – Thief Grabs Police Gun...
Soon, the surrounding crowd gathered around. Just as everyone was celebrating, there was a sudden shout from one of the officers: "Everyone, come help me, he's trying to grab my gun!"
The shop owner noticed that the stout young man was pinned under the officer, his face flushed red, and breathing heavily. Indeed, in his hand, he was holding a handgun! "The gun was continuously in the young man's grasp, his hand moving erratically on the ground, the gun scraping back and forth against the surface. It looked like he was trying to pick up the gun. It was terrifying – what if it accidentally discharged?" the shop owner recounted. During the resistance, the officer firmly held down the stout young man's body and hands, attempting to subdue him, resulting in a tense standoff lasting over a minute. "The stout young man was incredibly strong, gripping the gun tightly and trying to push himself up from the ground." "Be careful, everyone move back!" Seeing the urgency, the crowd took a few steps back. At this moment, several citizens rushed out from the crowd. "Some helped press down the thin young man, allowing the other officer to rush over and assist his colleague in subduing the stout young man."
Once the handgun was safely returned to the officer, the surrounding crowd finally exhaled in relief. Some angry citizens immediately surrounded the two, hitting and verbally abusing them until stopped in time by the officers. "We didn't see exactly how the young man managed to grab the gun. It must have been during the struggle that the police gun accidentally fell to the ground and was grabbed by the stout young man," said a mechanic from a nearby car repair shop.
Investigation:
The Two Young Men Were Confirmed as Bag Snatchers
Subsequently, the two were taken to the Dongpo Police Station for investigation. Around 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon, a 64-year-old Ms. Yang was seen at the Dongpo Police Station. It turned out her bag had been snatched by the two young men who were caught earlier. Ms. Yang stated that at around 11 a.m., while riding her son's electric scooter near the Cultural Palace, "I felt someone pulling on my bag straps twice. When it broke, I saw two young men ride away on a motorcycle." She immediately called 110.
Currently, the Dongpo Police Station is conducting further investigations into the case.
By Hu Li, with photographs by Zhao Xia