A would-be pickpocket in Metro got more than she bargained for Tuesday. The victim got all of her stuff back thanks to a little help from other riders and Metro Transit Police.
The victim, who wanted to remain anonymous, is a regular Metro rider -- no stranger to crowds, broken escalators and being jostled a bit by other riders. But there was something different about the contact at the bottom of the escalator leading to the Yellow and Green line platform at Gallery Place Tuesday.
"I guess it was gut instinct,” she said. “It felt a little stronger than a normal rush hour nudge, so within milliseconds I looked into my bag and realized my small bag was missing and someone kinda sketchy was standing behind me."
She had fallen victim to a pickpocket.
She can’t really explain why she did what she did next, nor does she recommend it or think she'd do it again, but she did it. She grabbed her bag back, and when the woman started to take off, she went after her, weaving through other passengers on a crowded platform.
"The adrenaline was definitely coursing through my body, and I just really didn't want her to get away," she said.
But she wasn't the only one who'd seen what had happened and decided to break out of the commuter cocoon many go into in a crowded subway.
"Somebody yelled to call 911 and somebody else at the top of the escalator called a nearby police and they came running and they got her and they got her to the ground," she said.
Her items were returned, and police also found items that belonged to a local department store.
Not only will the victim be more careful on Metro, but she’ll be more careful walking home.
