Good Samaritan Tracks Down Suspect After Alleged Attack In Modesto
MODESTO (CBS13) -- A brutal carjacking and robbery spree in Stanislaus County came to an end thanks to the efforts of a couple of good Samaritans.
A loud cry for help from a woman just feet away from Crystal Pool and Spa in Modesto. David, the owner of the company, only wanted to be identified by his first name out of concern for his safety.
"As she started to open the door, she said that she could see the guy from a distance running at her," David said. "She tried closing the door. From what I understand, the door was pulled open, this guy jumped over her lap to get to the purse on the passenger seat. That's when he stole the purse and got her car keys."
The victim was parked at Dunkin on Oakdale Road when the attack happened Monday afternoon. After talking to the victim, David started to look for the man who attacked her.
"I found the fellow cowering behind a brick wall. He was crouched down in the fetal position just clutching that purse. I confronted him and I said, 'Either you can come out or I will pull you out,' " he explained.
David grabbed the purse but said the suspect ran away. First, he chased after him on foot, then by car, as other witnesses helped to point him in the right direction along the way.
"I'm sick and tired of the people who continue to plague our cities," he explained. "I won't take it. It's time that people stand up and do the right thing."
David and others found the man hiding in a backyard. One person held him at gun point until police arrived.
Modesto police arrested 37-year-old Leonard Rosas. They say he is the same man who carjacked and injured a man just hours before in the city's Amtrack parking lot.
"To me, I don't look at it as being a hero. To me, I did my civic duty. Period," explained David.
It was a community effort to catch an alleged carjacking culprit.
"I'll do it again in a heartbeat," David said. "I won't hesitate and that is the way it is."
Rosas was arrested and faces charges of robbery, carjacking, vehicle theft, attempted carjacking, and punishment for inflicting injury on a person while committing a felony. He is being held on approximately $1 million bail.