After robbery, man follows two teenage suspects until police arrive

When a Cape Girardeau man said he witnessed two teenage girls running from the scene of a robbery Sunday night, he was savvy enough to call 911 and provide dispatchers with a detailed description, but he didn't stop there.

He followed the two suspects in his car at a distance, talking to communications staff on his cell phone, and kept track of their path, allowing Cape Girardeau police to take the girls into custody, police chief Carl Kinnison said Monday.

The robbery occurred around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, when a woman in her mid-twenties was walking near the 500 block of Themis Street, Kinnison said.

She later told police she was approached by the two teens, and one of them grabbed her around the waist, pushed her to the concrete, and they ran off with her purse.

The man, who had just returned home from a jog, noticed the girls cut through his yard and thought it odd enough to go outside.

When the victim told him what had happened, he called 911 and began his pursuit, staying a safe distance behind the two teens, Kinnison said.

Police apprehended the two girls at the intersection of Frederick and Good Hope streets, thanks to the man's efforts, Kinnison said.

"As a result of him literally chasing them, we were able to find them," he said.

The two girls were transferred to the custody of juvenile authorities, Kinnison said.

The victim suffered a minor head injury and some scrapes on her leg and her face, he said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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