Table Thief Detained: Reaction Officer Chases Down Morningside Crook

Restaurant takeaways took on a new meaning when a suspect was apprehended in Morningside on Sunday, after being caught carrying a stolen restaurant table down the road.
“The suspect was detained after one of our reaction officers observed him carrying the table, which looked like it came from a restaurant,” said Blue Security community and media liaison officer, Andreas Mathios. “On being stopped and questioned as to where the suspect had acquired the table, he responded that it came from his home. He subsequently dropped the table and ran off in the direction of Windermere Road,” he said.
“The reaction officer gave chase, managing to apprehend the suspect nearby. The name of the restaurant, from where the table was stolen from, was acquired and the reaction officer returned the item to the premises,” Mathios said. “The proprietor was shocked that the table had been removed and has laid a charge of theft against the suspect who was handed over to Berea SAPS for further processing,” he said.
In a separate incident, in Shongweni on Sunday afternoon, Blue Security assisted in the chase of a suspect wanted for theft from a property and housebreaking.
“The suspect had been pursued by a civilian and Blue Security joined in the chase which came to a halt when the suspected thief was seen going down a cliff gorge,” Mathios said. “The Search And Rescue team assisted in the three-hour search in the dark, which was eventually called off. The rescuers returned to the scene on Monday morning in a further effort to locate the suspect,” he said. “It was then brought to the attention of the rescuers that the suspect may have evaded the rescue team by climbing his way to safety during the night and disappearing into the Shongweni community,” Mathios said.