Willem Veldman (20) told the Herald that somebody witnessed the would-be thief trying to break into his car, that was parked close to his workplace.
The witness, whose name is unknown, ran to the car to stop the perpetrator, but he ran away.“The witness knew it was my car and immediately came to my workplace to warn me,” Veldman said.
”I then jumped into my car and sped off to look for the suspect, after he had described him.
“When I saw the suspect about two blocks away, I cornered him and asked if it was he who was trying to break into my car.”
Veldman said that he was surprised by the suspect’s response.
“He told me that it was him and he that he was sorry; he saw my wallet inside the car and he tried to steal it.”
Veldman took the suspect back to his workplace, tied his hands with cable ties and phoned the police.
“The suspect wasn’t aggressive and very honest about the situation. He waited patiently in my workplace until the police came and arrested him,” he said.
Capt Joep Joubert, spokesperson for the Brakpan Police Station commander, commended the community members for their quick reaction, but warned car owners not to leave any valuable items inside a vehicle.
Also read:
Suspect crashes car minutes after stealing it
Vrou vertel van angsvolle oomblikke met vuurwapen teen haar kop
Brakpan polisie vat leeglêers in die wandellaan vas
