A Baltimore man is gaining accolades after jumping into action last month to help an elderly Vietnam War veteran retrieve his wallet from a thief who viciously snatched it and ran.
“I saw an older gentleman face down. I heard someone say, ‘he got his wallet, he got his wallet!’” Christopher Roberson, 38, told WBFF-TV of the April 6 event. “And I saw someone run away.”
As it turns out, 78-year-old Dr. Bob Padousis was visiting Lexington Market with his caretaker after an appointment at the Veterans Administration Medical Center last month when he tripped and fell while walking through a doorway, the Baltimore Sun reported.
“I landed in a prone position, on my stomach, face down,” Padousis told the outlet. “It happened so fast. My wallet was in my jacket pocket on the left side, and it must have been visible after I fell.”
The retired dentist started yelling that a man had taken his wallet, as did others who saw what unfolded. Unfortunately, some also shouted encouragements to the thief, saying, You got it! Go ahead. You’re good. Go!”
Amid that chaotic scene, Roberson, who was nearby and saw the scene, bolted toward the culprit, chasing the man down several blocks and then successfully retrieving’ wallet.
“I confronted him. I said, ‘did you realize you pushed that man down back there?’ I said, ‘You know what I’m talking about. You took his wallet,'” Roberson recalled. “He said, ‘I don’t have a wallet.’ I said, ‘You do have a wallet, you do have a wallet.'”
With sirens blaring and police on the way, the suspect handed the wallet back to Roberson and the good samaritan returned it to Padousis, a retired dentist who also served in the U.S. military.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis honored Roberson with a letter of commendation on Wednesday.
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