Shoppers Grab, Restrain Man Who Robbed Grocery In NW Indiana
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Cleanup in Aisle 5 had a whole new meaning at a northwest Indiana grocery on Friday, when a group of shoppers caught and held a robbery suspect until police arrived to arrest him.
Police were called to the Aldi Foods at 2906 Laporte Ave. in Valparaiso about 7:20 p.m. about a robbery in progress, according to Valparaiso police.
While en route, officers were told that customers in the store had "caught and were restraining a male subject," police said.
They arrived to find "five or six individuals holding a male subject on the floor. Officers immediately handcuffed the subject," police said.
Witnesses said the masked man approached a cashier and demanded money, according to police. He inferred he had a weapon in his pocket but did not show one.
The cashier gave him an unknown amount of cash, but as he turned to run out, he was "immediately physically restrained by one customer. Additional customers assisted and held the subject on the floor," police said.
Those restraining the man included a cardiologist and the owner of a local restaurant, witnesses said on Facebook.
Thomas Powell, 36, of Hebron, Indiana, was arrested and charged with robber, police said. All the money was recovered.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2017. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)