Upon hearing an elderly woman crying out for help, a good Samaritan chased down a purse snatcher, tackling him to the ground, fighting with him, and holding him until police arrived.
Deshawn Pressley was shopping with his one year old daughter at the Kroger in Lemon Township, Ohio, when he met 87 year old Patricia Goins. The two began chatting about his daughter, then split up to enter separate checkout lanes.
That is when the thief decided to make his move.
Pressley said he suddenly heard Patricia screaming for help in the next aisle.
“I heard her screaming and yelling… it was the yell that I need help,” the good Samaritan said. “And I just turned around and did what I needed to do as a citizen.”
Derek Vaughn, the 58 year old criminal, had snatched Patricia’s purse out of her cart and ran out of the store.
Security footage from the Kroger parking lot showed Vaughn walking out of the store holding the purse under his arm. All of a sudden, Pressley comes bursting out of the store, running full speed after the thief. He easily caught up to Vaughn, who looked surprised to see anyone pursuing him.
“He was running and looking back, running and looking back, and I was like ‘yeah, I’m on your a-,’” Pressley recalled.
Vaughn attempted to run faster but he was no match for the younger, faster man, the video showed.
The good Samaritan tackled the thief to the ground and began fighting with him, attempting to grab the purse while also trying to hold Vaughn down until the police arrived.
Vaughn made it back onto his feet several times and was promptly taken down by Pressley in the time it took for the police to get to the scene. The two fought hand-to-hand as a crowd gathered, with one man coming over to grab the purse to return it to Patricia and free up Pressley’s hands.
Ultimately, the good Samaritan was able to hold the suspect down until deputies arrived to arrest him. Vaughn was charged with felony robbery and theft. According to court records, he remained in jail on a $55,000 bond.
When the suspect was arrested, Patricia Goins had some words for him, stating: “I was a little bit hurt to think that somebody would do that. And I told him — I pointed at him and I said: You know, if you needed something, all you had to do was ask.”
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Honoring a Hero
On December 16th, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office honored Pressley at a ceremony, giving him a Citizen’s Award.
“I just turned around and did what I had to do as a citizen and I’m glad I helped her because she’s a wonderful, lovely lady and I just love helping people, especially older women,” Pressley said, explaining that he was raised by his grandmother who took him in after his mother died when he was a child.
“She did very good by me,” he added. “It was good that she taught me what she taught me, and I’m thankful for her.”
Pressley and Goins have made plans to stay in touch.
“We’ve got a dinner date,” Goins said during the awards ceremony.
“I’m glad that he received this honor because he’s my hero,” she told reporters.
