Off-duty cop nabs thief who dropped own phone and wallet
Suspect dropped valuables while fleeing and was caught when he returned for them
A suspected thief who ran from Choa Chu Kang Stadium last month left behind some valuables, including his own phone and wallet.
When he returned to the scene later, he got detained by an off-duty police officer.
At about 9am on Nov 26, off-duty officer Sergeant Muhammad Aizat Amir, 22, from Clementi Neighbourhood Police Centre, had gone for his 2.4km run at the stadium.
When he had finished, he saw a commotion involving the suspect, another runner and the stadium's groundskeeper.
Speaking to The New Paper yesterday, Sgt Muhammad Aizat said that as he approached the trio the suspect walked off.
He said: "The groundskeeper told me there had been reports of items gone missing and the suspect had been spotted loitering in the area for several days."
He said he wanted to speak to the man and jogged towards him about 400m away.
"I just wanted to talk to him to find out a bit more," he said.
"If a person has not done anything wrong, then there's nothing to hide."
FELL SEVERAL TIMES
But the suspect suddenly turned and ran, prompting Sgt Muhammad Aizat to give chase.
"It was quite a distance and he fell several times because he wasn't in running attire," he said.
"He also dropped several items along the way, including three phones and his wallet."
The suspect escaped but Sgt Muhammad Aizat retrieved the items and returned to the stadium.
Before he could even look through the items, the suspect returned, asking for them back.
Sgt Muhammad Aizat said: "He did not know I was a police officer. I told him to take a seat first as backup had been called."
The suspect was later arrested after he was unable to unlock two of the three phones.
Footage also captured the man walking away with another man's shoe bag, which Sgt Muhammad Aizat was able to retrieve.
Sgt Muhammad Aizat said: "Always lend a helping hand when you can and look out for others.
"If the community can do this, then we can help prevent crime and keep everyone safe."
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