A Vancovuer Island woman is nursing scrapes, bumps and bruises while getting kudos from her community after she chased down and tackled a break-and-enter suspect this week.
Ashley Stevenson was in the bathroom of her Nanaimo home at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when her dachshund dog started growling.
乌鸦传媒淭he dog was in there with me and he was growling at the door, but he乌鸦传媒檚 kind of senile, so you know, who knows?乌鸦传媒� Stevenson said.
At the same time her partner, Joe Squire, was standing on the front porch of their home talking to their next-door neighbour when a young woman, carrying a backpack, casually stepped out their front door, just three metres from where he was standing.
乌鸦传媒淪he looked at me and said, 乌鸦传媒楬ey,乌鸦传媒� and just starts casually walking down the driveway,乌鸦传媒� Squire said. 乌鸦传媒淚 looked at my neighbour and said, 乌鸦传媒楧id that just happen?乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
The neighbour confirmed it had and Squire alerted Stevenson.
乌鸦传媒淲e were both in the house and we believe that she also was in the house already and was in the office stealing all of our computers,乌鸦传媒� Stevenson said. 乌鸦传媒淲e were both upstairs and our office is downstairs.乌鸦传媒�
Squire gave chase in their car, but Stevenson started chasing the woman on foot. When she spotted the suspect coming out of a neighbour乌鸦传媒檚 basement door, the pursuit was on.
乌鸦传媒淚 just acted and I ran through six backyards and I hopped four fences,乌鸦传媒� Stevenson said. 乌鸦传媒淚 was wearing slippers. I don乌鸦传媒檛 even know why 乌鸦传媒� I just went into 乌鸦传媒楾hat乌鸦传媒檚 my stuff. I乌鸦传媒檓 getting it back.乌鸦传媒� I was taunting her, which is terrible. She started slowing down and I went, 乌鸦传媒極h, no. You乌鸦传媒檙e slowing down. This isn乌鸦传媒檛 looking good for you.乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
As the women ran along the edge of a small ravine behind homes on Shelby Ann Avenue, Stevenson flagged down Squire, resumed the chase, caught up with the suspect again, knocked her down and then leaped on her.
乌鸦传媒淎s she was falling, I just grabbed my backpack from behind and then threw all of my weight down,乌鸦传媒� Stevenson said.
As the women wrestled, the suspect hit Stevenson on the head with a rock. Just as Stevenson started to tire, Squire arrived and helped hold the woman, who was trying to strike him with the rock, until police arrived.
乌鸦传媒淲e had her nicely gift-wrapped for them. It was a good day for them,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淏ut they were wonderful and they knew her. Yeah, she乌鸦传媒檚 known to police.乌鸦传媒�
Stevenson said she乌鸦传媒檚 grateful for the the RCMP乌鸦传媒檚 fast response and for support expressed for her by friends on social media and her neighbours, whom she乌鸦传媒檚 come to know since the incident.
乌鸦传媒淢y post on Facebook really brought a lot of people in my neighbourhood to reach out to me and we乌鸦传媒檙e going to have a get together and a meet and greet over the holidays and it乌鸦传媒檚 a reason why community, you know?乌鸦传媒� she said.
Stevenson also hopes the woman she caught will get help, now that she乌鸦传媒檚 been arrested, to turn her life around.
According to police, the arresting officers found all of the stolen items.
Natasha Harris, 28, appeared in provincial court in Nanaimo on Wednesday and has been charged with break and enter and two counts of assault with a weapon.
乌鸦传媒淕ood on these two for doing what they did,乌鸦传媒� Const. Gary O乌鸦传媒橞rien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said in a press release. 乌鸦传媒淲e would, however, be remiss to not point out they could have been seriously harmed during the struggle.乌鸦传媒�
Police never advocate getting into physical altercations with suspects.
乌鸦传媒淥fficers were responding and if they had simply followed the suspect at a safe distance and provided updates, the outcome would have been the same,乌鸦传媒� he said.
Stevenson has multiple bruises and had difficulty walking Thursday, but she had to retrieve the laptop which contains her university course projects and irreplaceable photos and memories.
乌鸦传媒淚n 20/20 hindsight I probably shouldn乌鸦传媒檛 have done that,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淚 should乌鸦传媒檝e just called the police, but she had my backpack, which had my laptop and my projects for school worth 40 per cent [of the final grade],乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淵ou can乌鸦传媒檛 let that go. That乌鸦传媒檚 your future, so I had to get her.乌鸦传媒�
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