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Man arrested for assault after bystander intervenes

Published 10:30 pm Wednesday, July 14, 2021

A bystander intervened in an attack near Nugget Mall Wednesday afternoon, resulting in the arrest of a 32-year-old man for multiple charges. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
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A bystander intervened in an attack near Nugget Mall Wednesday afternoon, resulting in the arrest of a 32-year-old man for multiple charges. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

A bystander intervened in an attack near Nugget Mall Wednesday afternoon, resulting in the arrest of a 32-year-old man for multiple charges. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
A bystander intervened in an attack near Nugget Mall Wednesday afternoon, resulting in the arrest of a 32-year-old man for multiple charges. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

The rapid action of a passerby resulted in the arrest of a man who police say assaulted a woman Wednesday afternoon near Nugget Mall.

Juneau Police Department received multiple calls about a man attacking a woman outside Nugget Mall at approximately 1:33 p.m., said JPD public safety manager Erann Kalwara in a news release.

A bystander witnessing the event ran toward the alleged attacker, yelling at them to stop, before the suspect fled on foot with the woman’s cellphone and purse, according to police.

JPD officers arrested 29-year-old Tyler J. Leatham in a nearby parking lot for two counts of second-degree domestic violence-assault, fourth-degree domestic violence-assault, first-degree robbery, violating conditions of release and interfering with a report of a domestic violence crime. Leatham was taken to Lemon Creek Correctional Center and held without bail.

The victim was transported by ambulance to Bartlett Regional Hospital with serious injuries, Kalwara said. The intervening bystander was not named in the release.

• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at (757) 621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.