Some residents of a Brookswood neighbourhood were impressed by a Langley RCMP officer who performed a quick takedown of a robbery suspect on Friday, May 14, an arrest that was captured on video.
Around 11 a.m., Darren McMartin, who lives in the area of 210th Street and 44th Avenue, spotted a suspicious man on a bicycle entering his neighbour’s back yard.
“He was so high he couldn’t ride his bike, so I’m surprised he was able to get over the fence,” McMartin related in his social media post of a video he recorded after he phoned police on the non-emergency line.
Just 10 minutes after the call, officers arrived.
As McMartin watched, one Mountie quickly wrestled the suspect to the ground and put him in handcuffs
McMartin told the Langley Advance Times the police had the suspect in custody within one minute.
“They were able to do it calmly and without any apparent injuries to either the suspect or constables,” he commented.
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However, it appeared the suspect might have suffered some minor scratches earlier, when he jumped over the fence, right into some prickly bushes.
“I believe they [the officers] were close by on another task, but since this dork was actively entering back yards, they re- tasked and came and got him,” McMartin said.
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Feedback has been mostly positive since the video went up, with some grumbling about the likelihood the alleged thief would be back on the street.
Where the officer was concerned, one online commenter, Brandy Robertson, had nothing but positive things to say, remarking on “how AWESOME this officer was. He took him [the suspect] down. Cuffed him, got it under control and an arrest was made. I see post after post about ‘stupid cops’ and blah blah. And yet, here this guy actually did a fantastic job. Whether this … weasel of a thief gets cut loose is not up to the police. They just arrest them. I am glad to hear everyone is OK.”
Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com