Alert citizens with cellphone help capture theft suspect

ANCHORAGE — A man suspected of breaking into Anchorage cars was corralled with the help of alert witnesses with a cellphone.

Police say an employee at Blaines Art had been at work for 10 minutes Wednesday morning when a neighbor called to say someone had broken into her car.

She stepped outside and saw two men walking off with her computer bag.

She yelled and gave chase. A good Samaritan driver noticed her running and picked her up.

The woman called police and the good Samaritan drove close enough to the suspects for her to snap a cellphone picture before they lost sight of the men.

Police found a 24-year-old man carrying the computer bag hiding under a stairwell. Police say he’s also a suspect in a car break-in at another business.

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