On December 5th, 2021, at Kroger grocery store in Lemon Township, Ohio, an elderly woman’s purse was snatched. After calling for help, a young man came to her aide. He chased down the thief and laid a pretty good whoopin’ on the man before performing a citizen’s arrest until cops could arrive to take him into custody.
It all started when 89-year-old Pat Goins was making conversation with 27-year-old Deshawn Pressley as they were each standing in a checkout line. The father and his one-year-old moved onto one cash register, while Goins went to another. Suddenly, Goins cried out for help. Who should answer the call? The young man she’d just been talking to while in line.
Pressley gave an impressive chase and took down 58-year-old Derek Vauhn. He landed a few good punches, and even a kick while doing so. There have been one or two comments claiming the beat-down was a bit harsh. In reality, it was a bit harsh that Vauhn tried to steal from an 87-year-old woman.
Take a look at the video below to see what you think.
Ohio good Samaritan chases down purse-snatcher at grocery store | https://t.co/K5FWmXR9ES
— Tillie Toro (@tillie_toro) December 21, 2021
Whether you think he went overboard while apprehending the would-be thief or not, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones didn’t see a problem with it. As a matter of fact, Jones was so happy with how the entire event went down that he chose to award Pressley.
Fox News reports:
“for his heroic efforts, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones presented Pressley with the Citizen’s Award on Thursday. Pressley was also reunited with Pat Goins, the woman whose purse was snatched.
Pressley also said that his grandma, who raised him after his mother died, had instilled in him the values to help others.
“She did very good by me,” he said. “It was good that she taught me what she taught me, and I’m thankful for her.”
Pressley and Goins said that they will remain in contact with each other following the award ceremony.
“And we’ve got a dinner date!” Goins said.
A hero in Ohio chased down a man who snatched a purse from an 87-year-old woman. The sheriff honored Deshawn Pressley with the Citizen’s Award. pic.twitter.com/zXcr92HgW5
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) December 20, 2021
When asked how Pat Goins viewed the events and the subsequent award, she replied “I’m glad that he received this honor because he’s my hero,”
“I heard her screaming and yelling … it was the yell that I need help,” Pressley said. “And I just turned around and did what I needed to do as a citizen.“
Often times, you’ll see or hear authorities immediately speak out against so-called vigilantism. They will warn people not to chase after suspects or criminals because of the inherent dangers of doing so. Most especially when dealing with people who are armed or have committed a violent crime. The rationale is often that if somebody has already attacked a citizen, especially a cop, they will have no scruples about attacking anyone else who gets in their way.
Rather than rebuking or telling the young man that what he did was dangerous or unnecessary, Sheriff Jones expressed something else altogether. Pride.
Multiple times during the video that was posted to Facebook, you can hear the Sheriff Jones tell Deshawn Pressley how proud he is of the young man for intervening and making the citizen’s arrest. Take a look when you get a chance.
Well done and good on you, Mr. Pressley.
This story syndicated with permission from For the Love of News
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