Pensioner overpowers bandit, makes citizen's arrest

A 22-year-old man is in police custody after the pensioner he was trying to rob, overpowered him, seized his gun and made a citizen’s arrest.

The 68-year-old victim was in the kitchen of his Hillsdale Crescent, Mt Hope home on November 16, around 12.45 pm when he saw an armed man with a rifle in his yard.

The gunman barged into the house through the front door and announced a robbery.

He ordered the victim to lie on the ground but the pensioner refused to comply and began fighting with the suspect.

During the struggle, the gun went off and a bullet shattered the front glass door.

The pensioner then managed to overpower the suspect and grabbed the rifle.

With the tables now turned, he told the bandit he was making a citizen’s arrest and ordered him to lie on the ground while he called the police.

Officers assigned to the St Joseph Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and the North Central Division Task force arrived, and took custody of the bandit who was taken to hospital for medical attention as he had suffered some injuries during the struggle.

Police seized a black and brown AKS 74U rifle with 20 rounds of live 5.56 ammunition, while the North Central Criminal Investigation Division found one spent 5.56 shell at the scene.

WPC John of the St Joseph Police Station is leading enquiries into the incident.